


Paper wings

by niamcuddles



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alpha Liam, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - College/University, Beta Harry, Beta Louis, Domestic Fluff, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Protective Liam, Step-Brothers, kind of, the whole ABO dynamics is my own take on it, you gotta wait for niall haha
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-25
Updated: 2018-12-14
Packaged: 2019-05-13 18:58:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 309,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14754431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/niamcuddles/pseuds/niamcuddles
Summary: When Niall is forced to move in with Liam and his dad, he is worried how things are going to turn out having a step brother who is an Alpha. He quickly realizes that not only is Liam his hook up from last weekend and a difficult person to live with, but also that he's keeping dangerous secrets.(Or Niall thinks he's got it all figured out but being around Liam messes with his head. Literally.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Title taken from the song of the same name by Rise Against.

“I gotta hang up in a minute, my mom’s already in the car.” Niall said while at the same time not even attempting to move a single muscle. He was still sat on the floor, leaning against the wall and staring around the tiny room that had been his for as long as he could remember. Once he walked out of here, this would be it. 

“I don’t know why you’re making such a big deal out of it.” _Of course_ Louis didn’t understand. 

“I’ve lived in this apartment all my life, it’s super weird to move out, okay? And I’m not even moving out on my own, which is even weirder, I mean… what 20 year old moves in with their mom _and_ her boyfriend?” No one. At least no one Niall knew.

“Don’t forget her boyfriend’s son.” Louis snorted, not even trying to hold back his laughter and Niall rolled his eyes to himself, thinking about just ending the call right then and there. 

“I bet he hates me. What if he hates me so much he’ll try to get his dad to kick me out? Oh my god… maybe he’ll try to kill me.” Who knew, right?! Niall had never met Geoff’s son, had only ever seen a picture that he had long forgotten about. Had he known that this day would come where they’d all live together though, he might have made a bit of an effort. 

“Don’t be so fake dramatic, Nialler, I’m sure he’s alright. And if he’s not, I mean… he’s 2 years older than you, right? Surely one of you will move out at some point, it’s only for a year or two.” Or forever possibly. “Or your mom breaks up with that guy, anything is possible.”

“If she breaks up with him we’ll literally be homeless.” Well, not really, they would have moved in with Niall’s grandparents otherwise, but seeing as his mother had been dating Geoff for over a year and they were being pretty serious… they had decided this would be the best solution. And no one had asked Niall of course. “What if I have to share a room with this guy?”

“Didn’t you say their house is huge? I mean, this isn’t some cheesy romance, right? Why would you have to share a room with him?” Maybe because literally everything in Niall’s life was going wrong at the moment? They were being evicted from their apartment, his mother had been fired from her job and forced to get a new one where she made even less money, Niall wasn’t exactly doing great at uni after already having had to repeat his last year in high school and now… now this. 

“I don’t know... this sucks. It’s gonna be so awkward.” Niall whined into the phone, flinching quite a bit when his mother yelled his name from the hallway.

“Sounds like you gotta go.” Of course Louis was still amused and if he had been here, Niall would have shoved him pretty hard for being so damn insensitive. “Text me once you’ve met your new brother.” 

“Shut up.” And then Niall just hung up the phone, giving himself a push and forcing his body to move or otherwise he’d never be able to leave this room. A lot of people would have probably been happy about moving out of this place, it wasn’t exactly in a good location, the neighbors had always hated them and it was small as hell, but… it was home. 

Niall tried not to be too much of a baby though as he collected the last box filled with his stuff before making his way out to the hallway, his mother having already left again, probably to wait in the car. Throwing one last glance back into the living room, Niall pulled the door closed behind himself for the very last time, totally not ready for what was to come.

“Will you please stop sulking?” Was the first thing Niall’s mother said once Niall had gotten into the passenger seat, already so annoyed that he wanted to get out of the car again. 

“I’m not sulking.” He totally was, Niall knew it was stupid and pointless, but like… why?

“Yes, you are. Please, just try and pull yourself together for when we get there, alright? You’re an adult, I think you can handle moving to a new home.” At least she wasn’t trying to guilt trip Niall again into being grateful that her boyfriend was allowing both of them to move in, but the truth was, Geoff was really nice, Niall had met him multiple times and he would have probably also met his son had he not been studying abroad for the past year. 

“It’s not that. I’m fine.” Niall lied, just because he wanted to sulk in silence instead and dramatically stare out the window while imaging that life wasn’t absolute shit right now. “It’s just weird because I’ve never met his son and-“

“Liam is a really nice boy, I’m sure you’ll get along just fine.” Yeah, well, she had also said that about pretty much anybody else that Niall had grown to dislike, so… 

“How would you know? You only met him once and that was right before he left.” Not a good memory, Niall could remember her gushing over Liam clear as day back then. From what Niall had understood, Liam was possibly the most perfect son to exist. “Also he’s a… you know.“

“My god, Niall, are you really gonna start with that again?” Yes, he totally was. 

“It’s a concern of mine, okay? I’ve never… I mean… he’s an _Alpha_.” There, Niall had said it. 

“So?” _So?!_ “I really hope you’re not judging people for something they have been born with, I’ve taught you better, Niall.”

“I’m not judging him, I’ve just never really… engaged with an Alpha that often. What if he’s gonna be all controlling and stuff and look down on me because I’m a Beta and-“

“It’s 2018, no one’s looking down on anybody. And you don’t even know if you’re a Beta.” Great, when had they gotten to this point again?

“Why would I not be? I’m 20 years old, I think I know what I am.” Truth was though, Niall somehow truly didn’t know for sure. When he had been around the age where all his friends had presented, he had known that nothing would happen if he was a Beta and indeed, nothing HAD happened, but also… he had never felt like that was truly who he was, it wasn’t anything like Louis and his other Beta friends had described. At some point though, Niall had simply decided that it didn’t matter, it probably felt different to everybody, right? If he were an Omega or an Alpha, probably not the latter though, he would have known by now. 

“Alright, I’m not really feeling up for this discussion again, just… be nice, okay? Please.” Niall’s mother sighed, as if he was a child causing trouble and Niall just agreed because he wanted to be annoyed in piece for the rest of the car journey.

The drive wasn’t too long, but it was quite noticeable that they were entering the area where mostly rich people lived, like big houses and mansions and stuff like that, which Niall would have probably found pretty damn cool had he not been so nervous about all this. Also, his way to uni would be so much longer now that he’d have to get up 30 minutes earlier, which was really the very last thing he needed. 

Niall had never seen the house before because he had always talked himself out of it the past few weeks, so he was more than stunned when his mother stopped the car. It wasn’t a mansion or anything, but definitely WAY bigger than Niall would have expected and at least his fear about having to share a room with this Liam guy was shrinking a little bit. Not that that would have really made things any better. 

“There you are, I was getting worried.” Geoff was there minutes after they had gotten out of the car and Niall politely shook his hand and put up a fake smile just for his mother. “I’m gonna call Liam down to help with all your things. Have you got everything?” 

Niall already hated this, he was only listening with one ear to his mother’s conversation with her boyfriend, more busy staring at the house in front of them. This was literally insane, and a younger Niall would have probably freaked out from happiness, but it wasn’t really a thing to be happy about, was it? They were only here because they couldn’t afford a new place right now, which was pretty damn sad and scary. 

Geoff didn’t call down his son after all, for which Niall was pretty glad, so he just followed his mother and her boyfriend to the house with his hands full of boxes, suddenly getting slightly curious though as to what the inside looked like. They didn’t have too much stuff obviously, just their own personal things, because the furniture had never belonged to them anyways and they weren’t that rich that they could have afforded that much. So really, it made Niall feel quite poor once he had stepped inside the house. 

This was ridiculous, like, just the thought that he would spend the majority of his time in this house from now on… it just felt weird. And even weirder if he considered he’d be living with people who he barely even knew and like, what if there were a ton of rules? Or what if he broke something on accident? What if he’d grow to hate all this?

“Just put your stuff somewhere, it really doesn’t matter, I’ll show you your room once we’ve got everything inside… ah, Liam.” Shit.

Niall almost froze immediately when he heard the name, he didn’t even know why or anything, all he knew was that he got up way too slowly after putting down the boxes he had been carrying, trying to relax his face as he turned around, not knowing what to expect. 

“Niall, Liam.” Geoff briefly introduced them, but Niall honestly didn’t even hear him, he didn’t even know how he managed to reach out to shake Liam’s hand and whether he had returned his smile or not, because literally… he was so dead.

Not only was Liam shirtless and dripping wet, probably from having been in a pool Niall hadn’t see yet, he was also bloody gorgeous and clearly 1000 times better looking and more familiar with the inside of a gym than Niall, but most of all… it suddenly hit him that this wasn’t the first time that they had met.

Liam seemed to have no recollection of that though, he just smiled his blinding smile, squeezing Niall’s hand so tightly that the other boy almost winced. Definitely an Alpha, just everything about him was radiating it. “Hi. I’m glad we’re finally meeting.” 

“Yeah, um… I’m… I’m glad… as well and… I mean, um, I’m glad as well.” Niall was gonna die, this was it, the end. 

“I like your shirt.” What?

“I, uh… “ Okay, Liam was definitely joking or something because Niall was wearing a fucking Arthur shirt and stupid as he was, he didn’t think before talking (AN: here is a visual of the shirt haha [x](https://78.media.tumblr.com/50b827233d71ca8e7482df17718aacaa/tumblr_inline_p9axx6nHcf1rggmxj_500.png)). “I like yours, I-… I mean, I don’t, because you… yeah.”

Niall was so fucking embarrassed now, even more so when he let go of Liam’s hand way too late with his eyes still glued to the older’s abs and the tattoos covering both his arms and when he finally turned around with his face burning like hell, he half fell over a box on the floor, with everybody closely watching him of course. What the hell?

“Are you okay, honey?” Of course Niall’s mother had to ask that now, as if she wanted to embarrass him even further.

“Yep, I’m great.” He just wanted to get out of this house honestly, phone already in his hand as he walked back to the car, sending a very urgent text message to Louis.

 

_To Louis 14:34  
I FUCKING HOOKED UP W HIM KILL ME_

 

Niall honestly couldn’t even comprehend what had just happened, not only had he made a complete fool out of himself, things would get even more awkward once Liam remembered what had happened between them just a week ago. Somehow though, it seemed that Niall was the only one who actually remembered. 

 

_Louis 14:35  
Don’t you think you’re moving a bit quick?_

 

Was Louis just pretending to be this stupid?

 

_Louis 14:37  
We didn’t hook up NOW, we hooked up last weekend. At the party??? Fuck_

 

Niall had now reached the car, but no one was coming after him so he took the chance to just try and collect himself a little bit while pretending to be going through a few boxes, as if he was looking for something or so. He didn’t have much time to do that though because Louis was already calling a moment later. 

“I can’t talk, everyone’s inside.” Niall was whispering, his voice shaking as he fumbled with his clothes in one of the boxes, feeling sick to his stomach. 

“Was he really the guy you snogged last weekend? Wasn’t he super hot?” Well…

“Yes. It’s him, Lou, I… and he doesn’t remember, I think, it didn’t look like it.” But also, their parents had been right there, so… “Fuck, what am I gonna do?”

“It’s no big deal if he doesn’t remember though. I mean, yeah, you snogged your step brother who also happens to be super hot, there are bigger problems in the world.” Louis really wasn’t a big help today. “I thought he was studying abroad though.”

“He WAS.“ Until last weekend, probably.

There was a bit of silence and Niall already wanted to tell Louis that he needed to hang up now and carry some more boxes, but his friend’s hesitation got him even more nervous instead. “Well… now things make a bit more sense. You know how I dragged you to that party and we didn’t really know anyone?”

“Uh, yeah?” They had already been a bit tipsy at that point, but Niall did remember quite clearly.

“That friend that told me about it, he mentioned something about it being a party for somebody and… I suppose it was your brother’s welcome home party.” Oh.

“Why didn’t you tell me that before we went there?!” Seriously?!

Before Louis could respond though, things got even worse and Niall almost dropped the phone upon hearing the voice behind him. “Need some help?”

Liam had literally just shown up out of nowhere, still bloody shirtless as well and Niall could barely listen to Louis talking himself out of what had happened last weekend. “Okay, granny, love you too, bye.”

“What the f-“

Before Louis could have finished, Niall had made sure to end the call and shoved his phone back into his pockets, trying not to stare at Liam too much when he came closer. “I got it, thanks.”

“We’ll be much quicker if I help.” He smiled, completely ignoring Niall’s attempt to get rid of him and instead walking around the car as well. “Everything alright with your grandma?”

“What?” Niall was busy trying to stack as many boxes on top of each other as possible, of course not trying to outdo Liam at all, he just wanted to be done quickly, that was all.

“You were just on the phone with her?” Liam seemed confused for a moment, watching Niall for a second as the boy realized that there was NO way he’d be able to carry just two boxes at once. Fuck this.

“Oh, right, yeah. She’s fine, she’s just… um, old- I mean… she’s fine.” Also, she barely ever called and she certainly wouldn’t have called now. 

“Okay. I can carry that if it’s too h-“

“No, no, I’m good.” Niall lied, almost stumbling backwards and it didn’t really help that Liam was carrying two boxes at once as if they weighed nothing at all. Gosh, he really was a stupid stereotype, wasn’t he?

Somehow, their parents were gone once they got inside the house again and Niall silently cursed his mother for leaving him alone with Liam to go do whatever. It’s not that he minded unpacking the car by himself, but like… this was already going a lot differently than he would have expected. At least Liam wasn’t getting onto his nerves anymore, they just worked next to one another without talking and Niall was slightly afraid of the moment they got to the last box and he locked the car. 

It was kinda weird, seeing all their possessions in the huge entrance hall of this house and realizing that it wasn’t a lot of stuff at all. Also, seeing them next to Liam and his very shirtless body was a whole other thing. Niall was really paranoid that Liam would suddenly remember last weekend if they looked at each other too often, but it seemed that he had no idea at all.

“I can show you your room, or the house in general if you want. I think your mom and my dad went into the garden.” Right, of course, this was how it would always be from now on, wouldn’t it? 

“Yeah, okay.” Niall agreed because there was nothing else to do, he just really wished Liam would have put on a shirt. Gosh, this was so weird. “I didn’t expect it to be so big.” 

“You’ve never been here?” Liam sounded surprised, he just walked into another room and Niall followed him like a lost puppy or something. This house was so huge he might have really gotten lost if he hadn’t paid attention. 

“Um, no.” Not like Niall hadn’t been invited or anything, it just hadn’t really hit him until now that this was all really happening. And even worse, that he was now living in the same house as the guy he had hooked up with. Well, not really hooked up, they had only made out while they had both been drunk, but still bad enough. 

“Kinda weird that we’re only meeting now, isn’t it?” Liam just said it and Niall let out an accidental nervous laughter that ended with him having to clear his throat like an idiot. “Anyways, that’s the kitchen, you can just take things from the fridge and make food, it really doesn’t matter.”

Well, Niall would certainly not do that. Jesus, how rich were these people?

“In general, you can just do whatever you do at home. I mean, it is your home now, so… my dad just wanted me to tell you that. He’s fine with everything, just no crazy parties or anything, unless he’s gone for a few days and you manage to leave no trace of it behind.” At this, Liam threw a smile at Niall and the younger boy almost returned it before he remembered that he didn’t even know enough people to throw a party anyways. “Okay, that’s the living room and there’s a bathroom over there and… “

And so Liam carried on showing Niall the house, still half naked of course and once they FINALLY went upstairs and Liam brought Niall to his room as the very last room except for his own, the younger boy was already itching to be alone for a bit and take all this in. 

“You can pretty much do whatever you want in here, barely anyone’s ever slept in here, it was just a guest room. We have to share the bathroom, and my room’s right next to yours, so if you need anything… or if you need my help getting your stuff in here, just let me know.” There it was again, that stupidly friendly smile and Niall did finally return it this time, trying to keep on breathing normally. 

“Okay, thank you.” Niall made sure to make it clear that Liam could go now and the brunette didn’t need long at all to take the hint, he even closed the door behind himself upon walking out.

Almost immediately, Niall let himself fall on the bed that wasn’t only twice as big as his, but also a hundred times more comfortable. The room in general was really big, much bigger than Niall’s old one and also-

“Hey, actually- oh, sorry.” Liam had simply come back without knocking and though Niall hadn’t done anything weird or so, he probably seemed slightly weirded out having sat up again so suddenly. “I was just wondering… do you like pizza?”

“What? I mean… I guess, yeah.” Who didn’t?

“Okay, good, dad asked me to ask you before, since it’s our first night of all of us together and stuff. My offer still stands about helping with your stuff by the way.” And then he just left again and Niall was kinda annoyed, kinda confused and kinda relived. But he was only relieved because apparently Liam wasn’t an asshole at all, he was just… very good looking and Niall’s hook up from last weekend and an Alpha and obviously proud of his body. 

So though it could have been worse, Niall also felt like this was going to get slightly complicated. 

 

\----------------------

 

“How’s the family?” Louis had been bound to ask this question, of course right in front of Harry as well and before Niall had even sat down with them. 

“My mom’s good, thanks for asking.” Niall refrained from rolling his eyes because he didn’t wanna give Louis what he wanted. 

“Is it true that your step brother is ripped and that you hooked up with him?” The second Niall threw a glare at Harry, the other boy simply shrugged. “Louis told me.”

“He’s not my step brother, our parents aren’t married and yes, we hooked up last weekend, but it was brief and also… he’s not THAT ripped.” Just a bit too much to live in the same house as Niall. Things had been weird last night after Niall had brought his stuff to his room without Liam’s help, he had pretty much stayed in there except when they had all been eating dinner together and making weird small talk which had resulted in Niall’s mother asking Liam about his semester abroad for two hours. “Can we not talk about it?”

“Fine, but he goes to this uni, yeah? So we might see him around?” Sadly, yes. 

“Maybe, I won’t point him out to you though, so don’t get your hopes up.” Niall was pissed, a little because Harry and Louis were getting onto his nerves with these questions but mostly because he hadn’t been able to sleep and because he had needed so much longer to uni now.

“Why not? We’re gonna see him at some point, I mean, it’s not like any of us wanna get with him, we just wanna look.” Well… 

“For what? We’re all Betas, he’s not interested in us and I wouldn’t allow you guys to talk to him anyways.” Right, maybe Niall had sounded a little bit like an idiot there, which would at least explain why the others were holding back their laughter. “Guys, please, I’m being serious, can you be subtle about this?”

“Okay, but it’s not like anybody knows or cares about us, so… but we won’t say anything to him, right, Lou?” It was true, they were kinda nobodies but then again, the university was quite big. 

“I’m not making any promises, but I’ll try. Hey, did you hear about this guy that accidentally bonded with his one night stand?” Louis simply switched the topic and though Niall wasn’t really eager to hear that probably made up story, he still decided to fake interest because it would at least distract the others from his personal life. 

Niall knew that Louis wasn’t genuinely trying to upset him, they had been friends for a really long time, even after Niall had had to repeat his last high school year and Louis had gone off to uni. Then again, they possibly would have never become friends with Harry if Niall hadn’t befriended him when they had both started uni together so maybe it had been a good thing. Or not, because it had brought Niall a whole lot of trouble. 

He didn’t see Liam all day, which was a good thing or maybe just a neutral thing, Niall couldn’t really decide. Also, he kinda forgot about him throughout the day anyways even though this whole living situation was of course something very present on Niall’s mind because it was literally his life being turned around. But then again, maybe Niall was also being a little bit of a drama queen about all of this, it was just who he was really.

It was Monday and Niall didn’t have work because the movie theatre he worked at was really small and not many people wanted to go there on the weekend, much less during the week. So because he also didn’t have a lot of classes and he kinda dreaded going back… _home_ , Niall decided to walk there, even though it’d probably take him ages because he had to rely on google maps, but then again… that was exactly what he wanted.

Niall had gotten his own house key yesterday, but he felt really weird about using it for the first time, especially after walking through the posh neighborhood, seeing a few of his new neighbors that he ignored because they obviously wouldn’t know who he was anyways. He was really hoping that nobody was home, he knew his mother wasn’t, but he didn’t really know about everybody else. A weird thing to think about after it had only been Niall and his mother for as long as he could remember. 

Upon entering the house, Niall refrained from saying anything or making too much noise, for no particular reason really. He didn’t hear anything, so stupid as he was, Niall walked straight into the kitchen after taking his shoes off, relaxing a little bit too soon. 

Liam was right there, going through the fridge, and Niall almost stumbled into the counter upon seeing him so suddenly. He stopped dead on, thinking about simply turning around again and disappearing into his room, but then he realized how stupid that would have been. Niall couldn’t run from this, it was his life now.

“Hi.” It came out of his mouth before Niall had even decided to say it, because he kinda HAD to say it, right?

“Oh, hey. Didn’t hear you coming in.” At least Liam was wearing a shirt this time, but his face was distracting enough anyways. What if he knew that they had hooked up? And he was pretending just like Niall?

“Sorry, um… if you are busy in here, I can-“

“Don’t be stupid, you live here.” Alright. 

So this was awkward, Niall immediately regretted coming home as he hesitantly opened his backpack, taking out the food he had bought because obviously he wasn’t going to eat other peoples’ stuff.

“You know you didn’t have to buy that, right?” Apparently Liam was just going to keep on standing there, eating an apple while watching the other boys. “Bowls are in that counter over there.”

“Thanks.” Niall decided to ignore the first part because he didn’t feel like he needed to explain himself to Liam. How could he just expect Niall to feel completely normal in this situation after not even a day? 

“That stuff is really unhealthy and innutritious. Spoons are in that drawer.” Liam was judging Niall’s cereal choice so hard and the other boy kinda wanted to tell him off, but he bit his tongue instead. “You can put something else in there if you want, the fridge is full.”

“I’m good.” Well, not really, but what was Niall supposed to say? He kinda wanted to go eat in his room, but that would have been beyond rude, right? So Niall forced himself to go sit on one of the barstools after putting the milk in the fridge, trying to ignore Liam’s eyes on him. Who was he to tell Niall what to eat, honestly?

For a few minutes, things were kinda awkward, Niall was eating slowly, never looking up from his phone, but he noticed Liam pulling himself up to sit on the counter, as if he planned on staying in here for a while longer now that Niall was here. Or maybe Liam was thinking the same as Niall, what if he also wanted to be alone and simply didn’t wanna be rude? What if this whole time they could have both been a lot happier by themselves but were making things overly complicated by forcing themselves to be around each other?

Or maybe Niall was just rude as hell and a little bit biased. 

“So… “ Liam suddenly started, almost causing Niall to choke on his cereal before briefly looking over to the other boy, who had no finished his apple, playing with his phone in his hands. He didn’t seem nervous or anything, more as if he was waiting for Niall to stop typing on his own phone so they could talk or something. Or maybe not. “You’re a beta?”

“Um, what?” Niall was so confused, he also almost choked again, this time having to cough quite a bit and when he had calmed down, he couldn’t actually believe Liam had asked him that. “That’s pretty invasive.”

“Invasive? Alright.” The other boy let out a laugh and Niall would have glared at him had he not instantly regretted what he had just said. So much for not being rude, right? “I didn’t mean to offend you or anything, I was just-“

“I know, um… sorry.” Before he would still regret this in an hour, Niall decided to apologize immediately to get it over with, even though his face was now a bit hot and apparently his brain cells had decided to stop working as he attempted to make a joke. “Good thing I’m not an Omega, right?”

“Why?” Liam sounded genuinely confused even though he could have probably guessed what Niall meant, but maybe he was being nice trying to give him a chance to talk himself out of it. Clearly, Niall wasn’t smart enough for that.

“’cos… you’re an alpha and… it’d be like, hella awkward, if… you know.” Waving his hand around pointlessly, Niall just decided to shut up, instead making sure to fill his mouth with some more food so he couldn’t talk more crap. 

“Right. I don’t think it’d be awkward though, but you’re not an Omega anyways, so whatever.” He probably shrugged, Niall could see it from the corner of his eyes, but he refused to turn his head. Why were they talking about any of this? “We go to the same uni, right? I can give you a ride if you want, if our classes start at the same time.”

“Uh, thank you, I… I’m good taking the bus though. I also have a bus card, so… guess I gotta use it.” Niall had paid for it after all and though it was tempting as hell to accept a ride in Liam’s car that was probably really nice and expensive, he knew it’d only become awkward. Also, all this was kinda a bit too much for Niall, like, Liam was clearly trying to make small talk with him and be friendly, but like… it just felt weird. Especially since they had snogged last weekend. “Anyways, I got a lot of studying to do, so… I should probably get started.”

“Alright. I’m having a few friends coming over later, you’re welcome to join.” Great.

Niall made sure to force himself to smile, thanking Liam before of course almost dropping his bowl as he carried it over to the dish washer, and then stupidly forgetting his bag before walking out, so he had to awkwardly walk back inside the kitchen to go get it. By the time Niall had finally reached his room, he felt so exhausted from that whole conversation that he didn’t even feel like texting Louis or Harry about it. Like, what was the point anyways, they couldn’t have helped him out and it’s not like any of this was really bad or anything, it was just Niall being a bit of a drama queen.

He was pretty damn sure Liam was only being nice because his father was forcing him or because he was simply a polite person, so Niall didn’t even spend a second thought on not going out of his room again until after Liam’s friends had left. It would have been embarrassing as hell, like, how would Liam have introduced him anyways? That’s my new step brother who is completely broke and whose mom has gotten evicted so now he’s living in our guest room? No, thanks.

Instead, Niall attempted to actually study, but found himself falling asleep every few seconds because of his lack of sleep from last night and the fact that he had had to get up so early. So at some point, he simply gave in, probably accidentally kicking his books and notes from the bed, but honestly, he was too tired to care at this point. 

Hours had probably passed by the time Niall woke up, only because his phone was going off right next to his head and he immediately jerked into a sitting position, realizing that it had gotten completely dark in the meantime. Of course it was Louis calling, completely messing up not only Niall’s nap but also possibly his whole sleep pattern because it was already 8 pm and there was NO way Niall would be able to go back to sleep anytime soon.

“What?” He answered the phone while still feeling half asleep, not bothering to pretend that he wasn’t annoyed by the call.

“Hi to you too. What’s up? Were you asleep?” Louis asked all innocently, as if he couldn’t hear it in Niall’s voice. 

“Don’t ask like you care.” Niall mumbled, moving on his bed in order to flick on the lamp on his bedside table. It felt so weird to wake up in this room, almost as if it was a dream and Niall would be back in his old room the next morning. 

“I do care, you know that. It’s why I’m calling actually, you haven’t texted back in hours and I was a bit concerned your step brother has decided to kill you after all.” There were some noises in the background, somebody else talking, and Niall didn’t bother asking because he knew it was Harry. Though Louis was Niall’s best friend and though he had introduced Louis to Harry, he knew that the other two hung out alone a lot more often than with him, which had been kinda frustrating in the beginning, but Niall had grown not to care anymore. It was fine, he wasn’t a baby after all, he was an adult.

“Not yet, he’s invited his friends over though and I don’t know if they’re still here or not but they might be plotting my murder right now next door.” Or maybe not because it was dead quiet, but the house was so big that Niall actually doubted he would have heard anything through the walls. 

“Well, better not introduce yourself to his friends, they might remember that you snogged Liam even if he doesn’t.” Oh god, Niall hadn’t even thought about that yet. “Not that it really matters if he finds out, I mean, he can probably remember it anyways, you were all over him.”

“I was drunk.” That and Niall had been all over Liam, at least for a few minutes, but who was Louis to judge that? “Why are we still talking about this? I thought you said you can’t even properly remember it.”

“I know, but the more I think about it-“

“Then don’t. It doesn’t matter anyways, it’s already in the past and… I didn’t know who he was or anything, so… who cares. Can you ask Harry to send me the essay prompt we got today?” Honestly, Niall wasn’t trying to expose Louis or anything, but it was his best chance to switch the topic, so Niall took it without thinking about it. 

“Um, sure.” Louis was clearly a bit taken aback by that request, but at least he didn’t sound amused anymore or as if he was about to make further fun of Niall. At least that’s what Niall thought. “You gotta look at the link I sent you before.” 

“Okay… I gotta stop talking now anyways, I gotta do my homework.” His imaginary homework. “See you tomorrow. Or so.”

“Or so?” The other boy let out a quick but unsure laugh and Niall was still a bit pissed off because of his nap having been interrupted just so Louis could tease him. 

“Yeah, I mean, you never know. Bye, have fun.” Okay, maybe Niall still wasn’t completely over the fact that his two only friends were hanging out so much without him, but he would have never admitted it to himself.

Louis had no chance to ask what Niall meant or to say bye himself because Niall had already ended the call, quickly scrolling through the messages Louis had sent him until he saw the link. There was no need at all to click on it, because Niall wasn’t blind and he knew Liam’s Instagram already, but it still caused him to roll his eyes to himself. 

So now Louis knew what Liam looked like shirtless and in every angle possible, and Harry probably knew as well and really, Niall was slightly afraid of going back to uni and running into Liam with the other two there. It was bound to happen of course, Niall just really wished it wouldn’t.

 

\--------------------

 

The first week went by even slower than Niall had feared. He was honestly so happy to be working on the weekend just so he’d have less time to spend at that house that his coworkers even commented on it. 

Niall did see Liam at uni quite a few times, but they only said hi to each other once and luckily none of Niall’s friends were around for that. As little as they saw each other outside though, it seemed that Niall had to pay for it double whenever he was home because it seemed that Liam was ALWAYS there, literally.

He got up before Niall, he was always in the bathroom when Niall wanted to go, he had his weird Alpha friends over every second day forcing Niall to stay in his room, he judged every single food choice Niall made, hell, he even judged his bloody toothpaste at some point and by the end of those 7 days, Niall was honestly done. At least their parents weren’t trying to make them into a happy family or something, they were always at work and if they weren’t they would go out, forcing Niall to cook and burn his own food while Liam just stood there laughing. 

Honestly, it felt like Niall had moved in with a roommate out of desperation or something, except that he didn’t have to pay any rent and that it was always completely clean in the house. Which was something, at least.

“Okay, bye, see you on Friday.” When Niall walked out of work and onto the street, it was already dark outside and he was glad that he had already taken the bus home from here yesterday, because he had had off earlier then, so he knew the way.

It was Sunday and Niall was starving yet he knew that he wouldn’t be able to eat anything anymore before going to bed unless he took something from the fridge that wasn’t his and he really didn’t wanna do that. His mother had even taken him aside a few days ago and told him to just use whatever was there, but it would have felt more than weird to Niall.

So as a consequence to that, he was even more broke than he had been before, which really said something. 

While walking to the bus stop, Niall texted back Harry and some people from uni who were blaming him for messing up their group project. How was it Niall’s fault though that he kinda had a lot going on in his private life? Not that that required any of his attention that much, but like… it was still stressful.

Actually, Niall had been about to put away his phone when he saw one more message popping up on the screen that caused his stomach to twist a bit weirdly.

 

_Liam 22:34  
Are you home?_

 

They had exchanged numbers, upon Liam’s request, but Niall had to admit that it did make sense. Still, the fact that Liam was texting him wasn’t as bad as the fact that he was asking if Niall was _home_. It just had a really weird feeling to it somehow. 

Niall simply texted back a _no_ , no emojis or anything because chances were Liam was simply texting because he wanted to know whether Niall was currently using the bathroom or something, but turned out that that wasn’t the case. At all. 

 

_Liam 22:35  
I need your help_

 

Confused as hell, Niall was about to ask what was up, but he didn’t really get past writing the _W_ before Liam was already calling him. So why hadn’t he just done that all along?!

“Hi. You’re not still at work, are you?” Obviously he wasn’t, what was Liam’s deal tonight? Also, it was slightly concerning that he knew Niall’s work schedule already. 

“No, just walking to the bus station… what’s going on?” Niall didn’t wanna be worried, but he kinda was because this was just slightly too strange for it to be nothing at all. 

“Just wondering, do you have a driver’s license?” Wait, what?

“I do, but I haven’t driven a car in a while. Why?” Oh god, this was going into a very scary direction and Niall wasn’t sure if he was prepared to hear the answer.

“It’d be really cool if you could come and drive my car home.” Just his car?

“Okay, I can do that, I guess. Where are you?” Niall really did NOT want to do that, at all, he had seen Liam’s car multiple times and he was sure he would have had to sell his soul to pay for just a tiny scratch made, but what was he supposed to say, really? At least it was already late and a Sunday, so there weren’t too many cars on the street or anything. 

“At the hospital. But it’s all good, just… call me when you’re there?” Liam sounded as if he was in a hurry or something, as if he didn’t wanna explain anything to Niall on the phone and though Niall did felt a bit panicked upon hearing this, he decided not to ask anymore questions. Obviously Liam was alright if he could make a phone call, right?

So Niall just agreed before ending the call, turning around on the spot because he needed to go into a completely different direction to get to the hospital. At least he wouldn’t have to take the bus home anymore, right? That was at least something, even though he really wasn’t in the mood to have a full blown conversation with Liam now and actually just wanted to get into his bed and sleep, preferably longer than during the past week.

It was only a ten minute walk, so Niall wasn’t too pissed and also, he felt a bit worried about Liam still, even if he knew nothing major could have happened. He would have probably called his dad otherwise, right? 

Niall called Liam once he was right outside the hospital and just like he had feared, the other boy made him go inside and take an elevator and then get lost twice until he had finally reached the right place to be, for the first time relieved to actually see Liam. 

“Hi… what happened?” It felt appropriate to ask, Liam’s clothes were bloody and he had a bandaid on the side of his forehead, making Niall’s stomach turn a little bit as he approached him. 

“Nothing, don’t worry, I just, like… had an argument and-“

“Are you the brother?” A nurse had immediately come over upon seeing Niall and Liam getting up slowly and the word made Niall flinch a little bit, but he still nodded anyways, trying not to look at Liam. “Do you have your license on you?”

“Y- No, I don’t.” Niall quickly lied, realizing she probably wanted to check whether they really were related, but then another problem arose of course. “We’re taking the bus.”

“Alright. Make sure he doesn’t get dizzy or otherwise call an ambulance. It might also be a good idea if you could wake him every couple hours during the night if possible, just to make sure he’s responsive. We’re not recommending you taking him home, but he is insisting.” The nurse sounded slightly fed up with Liam if Niall was being honest, so he just nodded along with everything she said, seeing the life flashing before his eyes when he thought about having to wake Liam _every couple hours_. So much about getting sleep.

Liam had to sign something and then they were allowed to go, not talking to each other until they were back in the elevator. “Thank you for coming, really. I know it’s really late and you’re probably tired, I wouldn’t have called if it weren’t for my car and if they had just let me go… I mean, they probably would have, but they kinda made a really big deal out of it. You don’t have to wake me any time during the night though, don’t worry.”

“Why are you leaving if they wanted you to stay? I mean, do you have a concussion or something? You look pretty… rough.” Niall couldn’t help but think that this was kinda stupid, he understood Liam would have rather slept at home, but it didn’t really sound safe? Also, what the hell had happened to him?

“It’s only a mild concussion, I’m fine, I feel completely normal.” He was clearly lying, also completely ignoring the first part of what Niall had said and the boy threw a quick side look at Liam as they were leaving the elevator, not really sure if there was any point in continuing to ask when he obviously didn’t wanna say it. He had clearly gotten into a fist fight though and stupid as Niall was, he couldn’t stop himself from hoping Liam had won. 

“Did you drive yourself here?” It felt alright to ask that, as if Niall simply wanted to find out where exactly Liam’s car was.

“No, a friend drove me. He left shortly before you arrived, uh… I would have asked him to drive me, but then he would have had to stay overnight and stuff.” And by now it was obvious that Liam’s father wasn’t allowed to find out about this, Niall had gathered as much, mostly from the way Liam behaved. He almost seemed embarrassed, as if he really hated the fact that he had been forced to call Niall and ask for help, which made sense. “How bad does it look?”

“Well, if you change your clothes and maybe wash some blood off your face… it doesn’t look that bad.” Only kinda, also, the band aid on his forehead was obviously not to be overseen, so Niall really had no idea how Liam was going to hide any of this from his father. “Looks like it hurts though.”

“No, it’s alright. They gave me something, so… that’s why I’m not allowed to drive. And because of the concussion.” They had probably had to stitch up that wound on Liam’s head and Niall really tried not to be too curious, but he was almost dying to find out what had happened. “How was work?”

“Wh- alright, I guess. Not many people.” Liam was clearly trying to switch the topic, but he was looking at his phone the entire time they were walking out of the hospital and to the parking lot where Liam’s car wasn’t to be overlooked. It hadn’t fully sunken in until now that Niall was supposed to drive this car, but now it really hit him. “I-I… I don’t know if I should drive your car.”

“Why not?” The other boy had already unlocked it and handed the keys to Niall, who had taken them with a twist in his stomach. “You’ll be fine, it’s not a long drive.”

“I know, but like, if, for whatever reason and I’m not saying I suck at driving or anything but anything is possible, and if I make a scratch into that car… you will wanna kill me.” Anybody would have.

“Don’t be stupid, you won’t make a scratch into the car and even if you do I won’t care. I just wanna go home, I take full responsibility for anything that happens.” Clearly, Liam didn’t feel like having a discussion and it almost came out slightly rude, which of course triggered Niall’s already kinda annoyed view of Liam. “Do you want it written down?”

Niall simply shook his head as he walked to the driver’s side, deciding that in case something did happen, he would simply pretend it hadn’t been his fault. Liam couldn’t even go to his father to rat Niall out because otherwise he would have to tell him why exactly Niall had driven his car in the first place. 

It was strange once Niall was sitting down, everything was clean and also smelled that way, which only added to his anxiety and Liam was already busy with his phone once more so at least the other boy had a minute to himself. Niall wasted some time pretending like he needed to change the position the seat was in 5 times and when he did finally put the key in and started the car, he promptly killed the engine. Great.

“Do you, um… do you really have a license? Just b-“

“It was an accident, okay? I haven’t driven in a while, just shut up.” The last part kinda slipped out, Niall really hadn’t meant to tell his _step brother_ , who he had only known for a week and who had actually been really nice to him the whole time, to shut his mouth. On the other hand, Niall was too nervous and concentrated to remember apologizing for it, but at least Liam left him alone when he started the car for the second time. 

Niall genuinely had never been a bad driver, but with Liam sitting there watching his every move, it made the other boy feel really insecure. Luckily Liam didn’t comment Niall’s driving anymore for a few minutes and when the silence got awkward, Niall decided to speak up, just because it seemed appropriate.

“Sorry for, you know, telling you to shut up.” Was he genuinely sorry? No. 

“It’s fine, sorry for what I said. I’m really grateful you came.” Liam sounded honest, a lot more than Niall had and now Niall felt a bit bad. 

“Yeah, no problem… hope you won’t regret it in a bit.” Niall let out a nervous laugh, but he was actually being dead honest. There wasn’t a lot of traffic, but still, you never knew. “How can you like, afford a car like that?”

There was more silence following that, but Niall was genuinely curious because as far as he had been able to tell during the week they had spent together so far, Liam hadn’t ever gone to work. Then again, his dad was obviously rich so maybe it had been a present or something and anyways, it’s not like it was any of Niall’s business. 

“I have two jobs.” Oh. What? “I’ve been doing them both for quite a while.”

“Uh, what do you do?” Why wasn’t he just saying it? Although, it kinda dawned on Niall all of a sudden before Liam had even spoken up. Niall had looked at his Instagram after all, he had noticed Liam was clearly doing brand deals and stuff like that.

“My mom got me into modelling when I was really young, so… “ And then Liam just stopped talking and it was more than obvious that he wasn’t gonna tell Niall his second job and honestly, what was his problem? Was he trying to be fake mysterious or something? At least Niall knew that Liam’s parents had gotten divorced when Liam had been really young and that his mother lived a few hours away, so he didn’t have to ask about that as well. 

“Oh, okay, that’s, um, really cool.” At least now Niall couldn’t be upset anymore about Liam’s good looks. “Do they like… airbrush your tattoos?”

“Sometimes, yeah. Got my agency real mad when I started to get so many.” Liam let out a laugh, as if he didn’t care, as if he was so confident in himself that he knew they would have never dropped him. Apparently, he had been right. “And my parents as well.”

“I can imagine… I’d probably pass out getting just one.” And Liam had them across both arms and yeah, Niall had to admit it looked hot, but he obviously wasn’t gonna say that. Also, if Liam was a model… “Will, uh, the wound on your head, like, won’t that be a problem? Like, when you model?”

“I have no jobs booked anytime soon and they could just edit that out as well.” Right. “Listen… “

Liam’s voice had changed just slightly and he only broke off because Niall had almost forgotten to hit the breaks at a red light, having been slightly too caught up wondering whether Liam would have shown Niall his tattoos if the other boy had asked to see them close up. Probably, but it would have been hella awkward, just like every time they had something to do with each other.

“My dad can’t know any of this happened. And neither can your mom, or…. It also wouldn’t be good if it spread around campus.” So basically… “It’d be cool if you could just not tell anybody.”

“Are you that embarrassed about a Beta having to drive you?” Niall joked though he quickly realized he had been slightly out of line.

“No, it’s not about that. I don’t want people to start asking questions.” At least he was being honest about wishing Niall would shut his mouth without getting rude. 

“I won’t say anything, I don’t know a lot of people anyways. You’re not in trouble though, right?” It kinda sounded like it if Niall was being honest, but what could Liam have done? Maybe he had just pissed off the wrong people or something, but then again, Niall didn’t really think they lived in a city where people got randomly jumped on the streets. 

“No, it’s all good.” Liam answered without hesitation, clearly not wanting to talk about it anymore. “Actually, talking about people you know... do you know a Louis?”

“I feel like I’ll regret saying yes. Why?” Oh god, what had Louis done?!

“I don’t know, he followed me and liked all my pictures within like, a few minutes yesterday and I went onto his profile and he’s got pictures with you, so-“

“Wait, wait. He really did that? Oh my god… “ Niall was so embarrassed and he truly hated Louis for this because what the fuck? Just when he and Harry had stopped asking about Liam… “I’m sorry about that, umm… how did you even notice, don’t you have a ton of followers?”

“Not that many. So you know him?” I mean, could Niall have lied at this point? Because he totally would have.

“Yeah, he’s, uh, my best friend. Sorry, I’ll tell him to get it together.” Or maybe Niall would just not say anything at all because it’d only prompt Louis to continue. 

“No, it’s fine, I actually found it was really funny. Also the pictures of you he posted.” Liam was now chuckling next to Niall and the other boy was more than relieved when he FINALLY pulled into their street because this night had turned out a lot different than expected. “You should introduce me to him.”

“Why?” Honestly, Niall wasn’t sure if Liam was joking or not, but it seemed like he wasn’t for whatever reason. 

“Because I’m your brother?” Okay, NOW Liam was joking… right? “I would have introduced you to my friends as well but you locked yourself in your room each time they came over.”

“I had a lot to do. Homework and stuff.” Niall was slightly nervous lying like that because he just KNEW that Liam knew that he had indeed been hiding on purpose. “Also… it’d be weird, like… all your friends, they… they are all Alphas and-“

“No, they aren’t? Despite what you seem to think, you can actually be friends with people who have a different biology than you.” Liam was teasing now and Niall rolled his eyes despite the fact that the other boy couldn’t see it anyways. “I didn’t think you’re this biased. Is that why you were being so weird when I asked you about it?”

“No. I’m not biased.” Just a little. “Everyone knows it’s all just stereotypes, its 2018.”

“So you don’t think I’m arrogant, controlling and aggressive?” Niall was now pulling into the driveway, relieved to see that all the lights in the house were already turned off. What would they have done if their parents had seen them? 

“Just a little.” Obviously Niall said it as a joke and at least it made Liam laugh momentarily, which gave Niall a prouder feeling than it should have. He didn’t wanna like Liam, he just wanted to feel neutral about him. 

“Well, if we’re being this honest with each other, I thought you were an Omega at first.” WHAT?! “But then you came closer and you didn’t smell like anything, so I-“

“Umm, why would you think that?” Honestly, Niall didn’t know why he was slightly upset now, it’s not like it would have been a bad thing… right? 

“I don’t know, you’re kinda small and-“

“Now, who is biased?” Was Liam HONESTLY making fun of Niall’s height right now? 

“I’m not, I was just pointing something out. Why are you so upset? Do you think being an Omega is a bad thing?” Jesus, what?

“No.” Niall simply stated before turning off the car, handing the keys over to Liam without looking at him and getting his backpack from the backseat before getting out of the car as quickly as somehow possible. 

“I didn’t wanna upset you.” Liam was whispering now because Niall was unlocking the front door and the other boy simply ignored him as they entered the dark entrance hall. “You can use the bathroom first if you want to.”

“I was going to anyways.” Was all Niall said while taking off his shoes, still more upset about all this than he would have liked and Liam of course noticed. 

“Maybe you should cool off in the shower.” Was he being serious right now?!

Niall honestly didn’t know what his problem was, but he didn’t say another word to Liam because he knew he would have just regretted it, so instead he ignored the other boy, simply going upstairs to lock himself in the bathroom and try to calm down. He knew there was no real reason for him to be pissed at Liam, it just kinda affected him for whatever reason, like, it was probably because he was so tired that all his reactions were a little emotional. 

When Niall was done in the bathroom and sat in his room until he heard Liam turning off all the lights on his way to his own room fifteen minutes later, Niall’s anger had already vanished and he was left feeling a little guilty and worried. He was just going to blame this whole housing situation on him having mood swings and behaving like an idiot when he finally gave in and texted Liam like a coward. 

 

_To Liam 23:24  
Do you really not need me to wake you up like the nurse told me to ? _

 

Honestly, they might have had a small argument, but Niall didn’t want Liam to die on his watch. The reply clearly showed Niall though that Liam was either mocking him by replying exactly like he had when Liam had texted him after work or that he was still upset.

 

_Liam 23:26  
No_

 

Right when Niall had been about to apologize yet again for behaving like an idiot, he was interrupted in his desperate attempt to come up with something good. 

 

_Liam 23:26  
Thanks again baby bro :*_

 

Despite the fact that Liam had probably been trying to be nice and funny sending that to Niall, it only made Niall’s chances of falling asleep even smaller. How exactly was Niall going to ever feel normal in this whole situation when he had literally snogged the guy who was now calling him his baby brother and sending him kissy faces, asking him to pick him up from the hospital after getting beat up, asking him to keep secrets from their parents and all this while Niall was struggling not to think of him as the most attractive person he had ever seen? Niall wasn’t sure if he wanted get an answer to that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone :)
> 
> Soooo it's not been as long as I usually take before writing again, but I was just super excited about this fic & and i know a lot of you have wanted me to write a ABO fic, so here you go ;) before you get upset over Niall being a Beta, please just wait a little tiny bit ;)
> 
> as i said, this is my own take on the whole ABO dynamics and we will see what happens, but i kinda 'modernized' it a little bit, so i hope nobody minds! i would LOOOVE to hear what you guys thought so far and i very much hope you will all enjoy how the fic develops!
> 
> Thank you all so much who suggested this kinda fic and i hope i wont disappoint!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure if it is necessary to put a trigger warning for this chapter but Niall gets very drunk

“Are you even listening to me?“ No idea what Louis had been going on about for the past five minutes, Niall’s eyes had been closed and he only slowly blinked them open against the sun when his friend rammed his elbow into his ribs. 

“No.” Niall answered honestly, moving a bit away from Louis because he had already told him that he had been up all night unable to sleep, so why couldn’t Louis accept that? Probably because Harry was in a lecture right now, otherwise he would have surely hung out with him instead anyways. 

“You’ve been a real dick all day long.” Amazing.

“All day? We’ve literally seen each other for the first time a few minutes ago.” Well, and briefly this morning, but how could Niall have been a dick while saying hi?! He just wasn’t in the mood right now. “I told you I wasn’t able to sleep all night, sorry if I don’t really care about where you and Harry are planning to hang out tonight.”

“I… that’s not what I was talking about.” At least now Louis seemed slightly taken aback, a little more careful maybe, and Niall really regretted that he had allowed his slight anger to get the better of him. “Do you… is there something you wanna talk about?”

“No? I just told you I’m tired.” Actually, Niall didn’t really know what his mood swings were about today, sure, he had been up all night trying not to think about that weird hospital trip yesterday and Liam’s ominous text message afterwards, but that still didn’t explain why he felt on the verge of blowing up. It didn’t really help thinking about how he had suddenly turned into a third wheel in this friendship with Harry and Louis.

“Okay, sorry, um. Actually, I was going to ask you whether you wanna come over sometime this week, we could… play some video games.” Seriously? Now Louis was pretending that he wanted to hang out with Niall?! Then again, that probably included Harry as well so whatever.

“Yeah, I don’t know if I have time this week, but… I’ll think about it.” He would, but Niall honestly wasn’t sure if he wanted to anymore. Also, he kinda had a feeling Louis and Harry REALLY wanted him to invite them to Liam’s dad’s house, but… it would have just gotten weird.

“Alright.” Louis immediately agreed, clearly feeling bad now, but honestly, Niall didn’t care. Plus, it didn’t really last that long anyways. “What happened to Liam’s head?”

“Huh?” Almost instantly, Niall’s head snapped up and it literally only took him a second to find Liam among the few students walking across campus. His band-aid was very visible across a distance and Niall had NO idea how Liam was going to hide this from his father or how he had even snuck out today. “Oh, he fell.”

“So you didn’t smack him?” Louis’ poor attempt at a joke only made himself laugh, only briefly though because they both sat up a bit more straight almost at the same time when Liam suddenly locked eyes with Niall. “Are you gonna introduce us?”

“He already knows you, genius. Thanks to you going crazy on his Instagram.” Niall felt his heart speeding up though when Liam clearly said goodbye to his friends before coming over and Niall honestly had no idea why, but his first thought was that he should have worn nicer clothes. 

“Did he tell you about that? I didn’t even think he’d notice, I was a little drunk.” Or more like, he and Harry had been drunk, but Niall didn’t comment it because Liam was already too close. What did he want now? “He’s so hot, I can’t believe you snogged him.”

“Can you shut up?” Niall half hissed the question, wanting to shove Louis off of the stairs they were sitting on but then he decided not to. It would have only made Liam suspicious. 

“Hey.” Liam arrived only seconds later, looking cheerful as ever and not at all as if he found this a little strange. Then again, Niall wasn’t sure if there was anything in the world that would have made Liam stop and think that maybe he shouldn’t do it. 

“Um, hi, w-“

“Hi, I’m Louis.” Of course.

“I know. Nice to meet you.“ Liam laughed, reaching out to shake Louis’ hand. “I’m Liam.”

“Oh, I know.” God, could Louis stop fucking flirting with Liam?! “N-“

“Everything okay?” Niall quickly cut off Louis because he had a very bad feeling his friend had just been about to say his name and honestly, Niall wasn’t going to sit here and listen to Louis and Liam talking about him. What was Louis’ problem anyways, he didn’t even know Liam, Liam was _Niall’s_ (kind of) step brother. 

“Actually, yeah. I was just about to go to my car but then I saw you guys and I thought I would ask if you wanna go grocery shopping with me? My dad has no time and since you don’t seem to like what’s in our fridge… “ Liam broke off then, pulling up an eyebrow, probably very well aware of how red Niall’s face had already gotten within a few seconds. 

Actually, Niall had another class before he’d be able to leave, but somehow he didn’t even think about that when he grabbed his backpack. All he was thinking about was showing Louis that he didn’t even care whether he and Harry were hanging out by themselves anymore because Niall now had Liam to hang out with anyways. Honestly, that thought process did scare Niall for a minute as well, but ever since he had moved into that house, his reactions to everything were a lot heavier and more emotional.

Also, Niall hadn’t actually been that keen on hanging out with Liam before right now, so he was a little bit shocked by his own decision. It was like, he had agreed first and then thought about it afterwards.

“Okay.” Was all Niall said, already having gotten up. 

“We’ve got another class though, Ni.” Louis threw in, clearly surprised and, by the look on his face, slightly annoyed when Niall simply shrugged.

“I don’t wanna make you skip class or anything, it’s fine if you-“

“No, I wasn’t planning on going anyways.” Niall lied, throwing a look at Louis to silently tell him not to rat him out and his friend just rolled his eyes. “See you tomorrow, Lou.”

“Yeah, um… have fun.” They all hated going to classes by themselves, but Niall didn’t really feel bad in this moment when he left with Liam. It wasn’t only about Louis having kinda stolen Harry from Niall or Louis getting on Niall’s nerves and being so damn interested in Liam, it was also a little bit because actually… Niall kinda wanted to go grocery shopping with Liam for some reason.

Last night had been weird and Liam annoyed Niall sometimes, but all in all… Niall didn’t mind his company, to put it that way. Even if it kept him up at night and even if he was desperately trying not to like Liam, they kinda HAD to get along, right? Also, it would have been really rude to let Liam go grocery shopping by himself. Niall’s mother surely would have wanted him to go, he didn’t really have a choice… right?

“What’s going on between you and your friend?” Somehow, the fact that Liam didn’t say Louis’ name as if he had already forgotten it made Niall feel a little better.

“What do you mean?” Niall played dumb while trying not to think about what other people would say about seeing them together. Then again, nobody cared. 

“Don’t know, it seemed you were having an argument or something. He sounded a little upset about you leaving.” Liam shrugged and Niall hated himself for having been so obvious. 

“Oh, he just… it was nothing. I’m just tired.” Not a lie, but probably not the best thing to say to Liam.

“Sorry if I kept you from sleeping last night.” It sounded like a genuine apology, but Liam also seemed distracted trying to find his car keys in his backpack, so at least he couldn’t look at Niall’s face.

“I actually got home earlier than I would have otherwise, so… it’s fine.” But Niall would have probably been able to sleep in that case, but of course he couldn’t have told Liam that. “How is your head?”

“It’s all good, it doesn’t hurt or anything, just gotta avoid my dad for a bit, I guess.” Liam laughed, as if him getting beaten up was something to joke about, but then again, maybe he hadn’t gotten beaten up, maybe he had just tripped and had been too embarrassed to tell Niall, right? “He’s staying late at work and so is your mom by the way, my dad texted me before.”

“Do we, like, do we know what we’re buying?” It was weird because Niall was 20 and Liam was 22 and yet somehow the younger boy was worried about doing this as if he hadn’t done it a million times before. But who knew, Liam’s dad might have been pretty particular about what kinda groceries he wanted Liam to buy. 

“Whatever we want and a few things my dad wants. Why? Have you never gone grocery shopping before?” Liam had unlocked the car now, laughing at Niall when the boy undoubtedly turned blushed yet again even though there really was no reason to. 

“Of course I have. I just wasn’t sure, because… “ Niall made some movement with his hand before getting into the car, the passenger side this time, already having forgotten where he had been going with this. If he had ever had an idea at all. 

Luckily Liam didn’t ask anymore, he just got into the car as well and Niall tried not to be affected by the way he was hit with the smell of Liam’s cologne once all the doors were closed. He didn’t even care obviously, why would he?

Niall made the mistake of checking his phone while Liam was starting the car, which instantly made him feel both slightly guilty but also a little upset.

 

_Louis 12:54  
I really meant it when I asked if you wanted to come over_

 

For a few seconds, Niall hesitated, his fingers hovering over the display of his phone before he put it away instead, not knowing what he would have replied anyways. He knew Louis and Harry weren’t doing any of this on purpose, but it didn’t change the fact that it kinda annoyed Niall a little bit once in a while. Especially since he had moved into that house.

“Are you even already allowed to drive again?” Niall only really thought about it when Liam had already pulled out of the uni parking lot, feeling a bit rude for asking, but like…

“Why, did you wanna drive?” Liam chuckled, obviously not offended or anything so that was good. “But seriously whatever they’ve given me last night has already worn off, so… and I’ve driven to uni this morning as well. I would have taken you with me but you always decline anyways.”

“Just because I have that bus card and also… I don’t think our classes start at the same time.” They probably did on some days, Niall didn’t know and he also wasn’t sure if he wanted to find out. He usually waited until Liam had left the house before he left as well just to avoid a confrontation, which was stupid as hell, but it didn’t keep Niall from doing it. 

“Whatever you want, I’d rather wait an hour at uni though than to take a bus for 40 minutes.” He was right, of course he was, but Niall just decided to shrug, not really having an answer to that. By now it was too late to accept the offer anyways.

Liam did turn on the radio while driving, which was a relief to Niall because he wasn’t sure if he would have been able to not freak out in case they had fallen into an awkward silence. Which they actually never seemed to do, because Liam always found something to say somehow. Niall wasn’t vain enough to think that it was because Liam desperately wanted to talk to him, he had already realized that the older boy simply liked to talk to people in general.

“I’m just gonna push the cart.” Niall announced as soon as they had reached the supermarket and though he actually still didn’t mind going grocery shopping with Liam, it slowly started to sink in that all this was really fucking weird. “Do you have a list?”

“Yep. But you can get anything else you want, my dad’s gonna pay me back anyways.” Right, even more reason for Niall to NOT get anything he wanted. “It’s really okay if you take things out of the fridge as well, you know.”

“I know.” Niall shrugged, not wanting to talk about this now and he was relieved when Liam just let him drop the topic. 

Somehow Niall felt like a child pushing the shopping cart after Liam yet at the same time he couldn’t help but regret everything he had thought about Liam being an Alpha and all. He knew it was stupid to believe in stereotypes, but that didn’t mean that Niall didn’t know about them and he had to admit that Liam definitely didn’t fit in there, not at all. 

The older boy seemed to really be into grocery shopping for some reason Niall didn’t know, like, first of all, he already knew where everything was and they never had to change direction or look for stuff, secondly he actually compared prices and third, he read the fucking labels on everything. Or maybe everyone did that and Niall was just a bloody idiot. 

“That’s the one you like, right?” Liam was holding up a box of cereal, the exact kind that Niall had bought himself but that was already almost empty because of how often he had been forced to eat it.

“No.” The younger boy lied, simply because he didn’t want Liam to get it with his dad’s money.

“Didn’t you buy that?” Liam seemed amused and Niall shrugged, looking away from the other’s face and instead into the shopping cart, wondering how anybody survived eating this healthy every single day. 

“I just picked a random box.” Another lie, but whatever, anything that got Niall out of this situation. 

“Okay, well, get one you like then.” God, why couldn’t Liam just let it be? 

“I thought you said that cereal is bad for my health.” He had said that on multiple occasions by now, which really said something because they hadn’t really been living in the same house for very long. 

“It is, but if it’s the only thing you eat… “ Liam shrugged, making no attempts to move though and putting his hand on the end of the cart so Niall couldn’t either. He really shouldn’t have agreed to come. “So, which one?”

“I don’t want cereal.” There were a whole lot of things Niall wanted but was trying not to look at because he was very aware of how closely Liam was watching him. “Can we just get going?”

“Stop acting like a baby, Niall, just get some food you like.” God.

“I’m not acting like a baby, I just don’t want anything, okay?” Honestly, Niall was about to genuinely start acting like a baby, but he was trying real hard to keep it together right now, they were in public and all. 

“So what are you gonna eat then, huh? Are you gonna starve yourself because you don’t want food that my dad paid for?” Liam held on tighter to the shopping cart when Niall tried to move it and he kinda thought about simply walking away and back to the car, but that would have really gone too far.

“Well, then at least you will stop judging me every day for all my food choices.” A little bit exaggerated, but Niall needed a few arguments here.

“Are you saying it’s my fault? Simply because I pointed out that eating so much sugar every day is bad for you? Which it is, by the way, but so is not eating anything.” The thing was, Liam wasn’t loud or anything, he didn’t even sound upset and somehow that made Niall even more frustrated. “We’re gonna be here all day if you don’t pick something.”

“ _Fine_ , then I’m gonna pick some stupid ass cereal if that’s gonna make you happy.” Niall hated himself for giving in, truly, but it looked like he had no choice. So he simply grabbed a random box from the shelf, throwing it into the shopping cart with a bang just because he wanted Liam to really know how annoyed he was. 

“If you pick it you gotta eat it.” Liam simply told him, calmly, as if he was talking to a toddler. 

“I know, _mom_.” Rolling his eyes, Niall threw a look at the box he had chosen, not sure whether he would like it or not, but he wouldn’t embarrass himself switching it out now. “I’m never going into another store with you again.”

“You can wait in the car when we drive to a another one then.” _Another_ one?! “Maybe if you’re a good boy I’m gonna bring you back some candy.”

“Don’t patronize me.” Liam was having way too much fun right now, he was just laughing at the younger boy as they carried on walking. At least he wasn’t upset, but then again, he really didn’t have anything to be upset about. 

“It’s funny how quickly you went from trying to be polite to telling me to shut up in a grocery store.” It was true, Niall had really tried hard at first to be super polite and stuff, but that had gone out of the window now, especially since last night. “Almost feels like we’re real siblings.”

“Except we don’t look alike, at all.” Mostly because Liam was 100 times better looking, but Niall really didn’t wanna get into that, he was still pissed off.

“You could have been adopted.” Obviously Liam was just trying to tease, he even turned around just so he could smirk at Niall and see his annoyed face, and as if that wasn’t enough, he actually came over to pinch Niall’s cheek. “Aww, sorry.”

“Don’t touch me.” Though his face had gotten heated, Niall still brushed Liam’s hand off as quickly as possible, desperate for them to move on from this incident. “Can we just finish here?”

“Do you already regret skipping classes for this?” Liam probably asked because he expected a yes, but the truth was that Niall didn’t regret it, so he just shrugged in an attempt to avoid lying again. He knew Liam was looking right through him anyways, so what was the point, really? “I’m glad you came, it’s boring by myself.”

Though Liam didn’t say anything else afterwards and simply carried on with his list, it made Niall’s stomach turn a little bit. Obviously Liam didn’t wanna go grocery shopping by himself because who really did, right? Still, the fact that he had just said that he was glad Niall had decided to come was making the younger boy feel a lot of things he would have rather not felt. He hated how much he wanted Liam to like him and enjoy spending time with him. 

Somehow Niall had a feeling Liam bought a lot more stuff that he thought Niall would wanna eat and one hand that kinda annoyed him, but on the other hand, he knew he shouldn’t have taken it for granted like that. Liam only meant well, he was trying to make Niall feel more at home in that house and for them to kinda have a brotherly relationship as far as that was possible and it was completely different from what Niall had feared. So really, he should have been grateful instead of throwing temper tantrums like a toddler, like, Niall didn’t really know what it was that made him so easily upset lately. 

He tried though, for the rest of their shopping trip, because it lasted a whole lot longer than Niall would have thought. They went into TWO more stores, but they didn’t argue anymore in any of those and Niall didn’t wait in the car after all. Still, when they got back into the car to finally drive home, Liam kinda surprised the younger boy a little bit.

“Here.” Liam simply handed over a chocolate bar to Niall and the other boy took it without really thinking about it, not even having noticed Liam buying it. Wait… how had he gotten his favorite one? Pretty much the ONLY one Niall liked? “Sorry for forcing you to get cereal.”

“I… it’s okay. Thank you.” It was kinda a joke of course, but still, Niall had calmed down by now. 

“I hope I got the right one, you leave the wrappers lying around everywhere in the house but I still couldn’t remember properly.” Oh. 

“You did, uh… you didn’t have to though.” Actually, it was Niall who should have apologized and they both knew it, but he was way too embarrassed now. 

“It’s not my money anyways.” Right. “You can eat it in the car, I don’t mind.”

“I think I’m gonna wait though… thanks.” Niall would have HATED himself for getting chocolate anywhere in this car even if Liam claimed it was alright. Especially after their small argument and everything.

It was a quiet drive back home, but also not a very long one, so that didn’t mean anything. Also, Niall was kinda really tired from uni and all that shopping and Liam even jokingly commented it, but the younger boy still helped carrying the bags into the house and putting it all away even though he wasn’t quite sure where things belonged yet. Hell, he had never even taken a look inside that fridge before. 

“So, I’m gonna make something to eat now, do you want half of it, or… ?” Liam started once they were done putting everything away and Niall had thought about the best way to slip out of the kitchen and to his room. The fact that they were both staying home and that their parents weren’t there was kinda making Niall feel awkward though it wasn’t happening the first time of course. Any other time they hadn’t spent so much time together before hand though and they also hadn’t arrived together.

“I, um… “ The thing was, Niall WAS hungry, he hadn’t eaten anything all day and he kinda wanted to say yes because whatever Liam made always kinda looked good but maybe Liam was just asking out of politeness. 

“I’m gonna make double anyways, you can also decide after.” The older boy simply shrugged as if he didn’t care and Niall suddenly felt like an idiot again as he just stood there in the middle of the room, watching Liam getting things out of the cupboards and fridge.

“I could… help.” Niall offered after a minute, deciding that if he was going to say yes, he would at least try to be extra nice.

“Don’t worry about it, you can also just sit down.” Okay, that was a clear message, right? 

“Okay, uh, I don’t want you having to do all the work though and-“

“Niall, really, it’s fine. I would have done the same if I were alone.” Also, he was probably afraid of Niall messing up or having to give him directions. It’s not that Niall couldn’t cook or anything, but Liam couldn’t know that of course because the younger boy usually only made things when he was either alone or when he wasn’t, things that were easy and done as quickly as possible. 

So though Niall felt a bit guilty, he still went to sit on one of the bar stools and settled for simply watching Liam, getting his phone out to make it a bit less obvious. Louis had texted again, two times actually, but Niall still opted out of replying for no particular reason. He wasn’t really upset with his friend, he was just… not happy with this whole situation. Also, Louis was probably already home or hanging out with Harry, so he probably didn’t care for Niall’s reply anymore anyways. 

Instead, Niall watched Liam’s back while he was chopping something up, the way his muscles moved underneath his tight shirt and on his tattooed arms, the way he was just effortlessly beautiful, no matter what he did. It seemed absolutely ridiculous that Liam and Niall had made out at that party, like, Niall didn’t think he was ugly or so, it was just… there had been SO many other people, what were the odds?

Also, it was common knowledge that usually Alphas didn’t go for Betas. But they had both been tipsy and Liam probably hadn’t really cared, so… it was different if it was just a one time thing or something. Concerning real relationships though, it was unusual, mostly because Liam could have never had the same bond with a Beta as with an Omega, he would have never found his… well, his soulmate in a Beta. And obviously anybody could date virtually anybody, but it was still a thing, even in the century that they lived in.

Niall wasn’t upset about that or anything of course, they were kinda step-brothers, so it wasn’t like… like he was making himself any hopes or even just thought about it. Also, it wasn’t anything he had ever really spent a lot of thought on in general, he had never spent nearly as much time with an Alpha as he had with Liam, and it’s not like it affected their whole entire lives, it was just a thing that existed. A thing that kinda brought along certain problems, so Niall should have actually been glad that he was _just_ a Beta, no weird smell, no heat to go through, no nothing. 

Still, it was kinda prominent in the back of his head now that he knew Liam, that even if in some weird way Liam and him would have grown to like each other in that way, potentially, it was unlikely Liam would have actually wanted to pursue a relationship. Simply because he would have missed out on stuff and also… he probably wasn’t even into Niall and never would be. 

“Why did you get tattoos on your hands?” Niall heard himself ask without even planning on doing it, but then it had already slipped out.

“’cos it looks cool.” Was all Liam said, throwing a grin at the younger boy. “Also it would have looked weird if I had just stopped at my wrists, don’t you think?”

“Hmmm, true. Can’t imagine how bad all this hurt.” Niall would have never been able to do it, but not only because of the pain, he also couldn’t imagine something permanently being on his body, like, forever. 

“Not that much, actually. I got them done over a few years, so.” Liam shrugged, having turned back around so Niall could go back to just staring at him making food for them. This was maybe a little bit too domestic for Niall, also the grocery shopping, but on the other hand, he had never had any siblings, so this was new but not bad. “How do you feel about spicy food?”

“Umm, I don’t mind it, if it’s not too bad.” Actually, Niall didn’t enjoy spicy food, but Liam was already making it.

“Okay, I’ll make it mild, just for you.” The older boy threw another look at Niall over his shoulder, simply smiling at him for the briefest second, but it was still enough for Niall to feel his face getting a bit hotter.

Actually, Niall was about to say something else, but then he didn’t really get the chance to because he was interrupted by his phone going off. And despite what he had thought, it wasn’t Louis calling him, it was actually Harry. God, there was NO way these two hadn’t talked.

“Aren’t you gonna get it?” Liam asked after Niall didn’t answer the phone immediately, he was actually pretty hesitant just staring at the screen, probably only catching the call on the very last ring. 

“Hi, Harry.” Niall tried to make his voice sound neutral, hoping that it was a random call, about homework or something.

“Hi, what’s up?” Harry sounded kinda cheerful, but Niall wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not.

“Nothing, actually.” What else was Niall supposed to say, Liam was right there next to him. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, I just… “ Oh god. “I just had a chat with Louis before and… he asked me not to talk to you about this, but I feel like we should.”

“Look, I know what you’re talking about, but we really don’t need to talk about anything. I was just really tired today, so… I said something without thinking, I didn’t mean it.” Niall was such a good liar. Well, he wasn’t fully lying, just a little bit. “It’s all good.”

“So you’re not mad that me and Louis are sometimes hanging out by ourselves? I swear, it’s not like we don’t want you there or anything, I… “ Harry stopped talking then, maybe because he realized that he was just making it sound as if they were just forgetting about Niall. They probably were. 

“I’m not mad.” Niall quickly told him because he felt Liam’s eyes on him again, making sure to turn down the volume on his phone a bit, just in case. 

“Okay, good. I’m really sorry if we hurt you or anything, I swear that was never our intention.” Harry really did sound sorry, so now Niall kinda felt a bit bad but then again, it wasn’t his fault, he hadn’t done anything. 

“You didn’t, it’s all good.” Well… 

“I’m glad, but if there’s ever anything you can tell me, okay?” Niall quickly agreed, simply because he was hoping Harry would end the call because it was weird talking to him about this with Liam in the same room. Sadly though, Niall’s wish wasn’t granted. “So, do you wanna hang out? I can pick you up or something.”

“Um… “ Okay, now THIS was inconvenient. Mostly because even though Niall didn’t have anything planned for today, he kinda didn’t wanna go out right now, for no particular reason. Also, Liam was making more food just for Niall, so it would have been really rude. “Actually, I… I have a lot of homework to do and… maybe not today.”

“Okay, yeah, that’s fine. I didn’t wanna keep you from doing homework or so, I just wanted to make sure you aren’t upset or anything.” Sure, it was sweet of him and all, but yet… 

“I really am not, don’t worry about it, okay? Thanks for calling though and… I’ll see you tomorrow?” Niall made sure to get straight to the point because he was a little scared what else Harry could have asked him.

“Yeah, sure, okay, see you tomorrow. Bye, Ni.” He sounded slightly surprised and Niall ended the call as soon as Harry had finished, not saying anything else. Great, now Liam had not only heard all this, but Niall could never again be upset about the other two hanging out so much because he had just had his chance to speak up. And had blown it.

For a moment, there was silence in the kitchen except for Liam’s chopping and Niall considered saying something, but then he decided not to. Actually, he had already forgotten about all this, but now Harry had done a real good job at reminding him.

“Homework, huh?” Liam asked after a while and Niall shrugged though the other boy couldn’t see it. 

“I didn’t wanna hang out.” Niall simply explained because it was the truth. Liam didn’t have to know that it was partly because of him, right? 

The other boy didn’t answer for a moment and Niall already thought he had decided to just ignore it, but that obviously wasn’t the case. “If you wanna talk about it… I’m here.”

“I really don’t.” Still, the fact that he had offered it like that, with that smooth and calm voice, kinda caused Niall’s stomach to twist a little bit. Liam really was nice, and sweet, and now Niall felt even more like a dick for all those times he had snapped at him. “Are you sure you don’t need any help?”

“Actually… maybe I do.” It was obvious that Liam didn’t need help, that he only agreed because he must have noticed Niall was looking for a distraction and he was nice enough to give him one. 

Niall was sure he was giving Liam a hard time not interfering all the time while helping him, but in Niall’s opinion, the food still turned out really good. They didn’t talk about that phone call anymore and actually, they had a really nice conversation about Liam’s semester abroad and uni that lasted until they were done doing the dishes.

Afterwards, Niall made sure to tell Liam that he had to study, though that would have probably been unnecessary. He really craved being by himself for a little bit though, to try and think about everything going on right now. Niall was aware that he didn’t actually have any _real_ problems, but they felt very real to him today. Even more than usually somehow.

 

\---------------------------

 

The next few days, Niall tried to react a bit less emotional to everything, even though it was kinda harder than he had thought. He spent some time with Liam at home and the older boy drove them both back from uni again on another day, but none of it lasted as long as the day they had gone grocery shopping together. Still, they got along alright and if Niall ignored his slight crush on Liam then he could probably live with it.

Also, Niall was still kinda pissed at Louis and Harry, but of course had to try and hide it, except for whenever they asked him whether he wanted to hang out after uni. So when they asked him whether he would come to a party with them on Friday because they knew he had no work or plans that day, Niall was kinda forced to say yes. Maybe it was a good thing, if he got out of the house a little, because despite the fact that he hadn’t wanted to move there, Niall surely spent a lot of time in his new room.

A lot more than Liam for sure, the older boy was going out with his friends a lot, but he did sometimes ask Niall whether he wanted to come along. Only few times he didn’t ask and one time, Niall heard him having a pretty intense conversation on the phone before Liam practically stormed out the house. Niall didn’t ask though, also not why Liam sometimes came home so damn late or why it always seemed as if he was hiding something since the hospital incident.

Maybe he really had pissed off the wrong people or something. But then again, he had been gone for a year, so that seemed kinda unrealistic.

“I think I’m gonna get another drink.” Niall announced to the other two, because even though he kinda felt like he had already had enough, he was kinda getting bored. This was why Niall didn’t enjoy house parties, they always ended with the three of them not knowing anybody and leaving once everyone else had gotten completely smashed. So instead, Niall had decided he was going to get smashed. 

“Didn’t you already have 5?” Louis was half shouting over the music, but Niall just shrugged, pretending as if he hadn’t heard him properly. Harry and Louis were being a bit too close tonight, but Niall was drunk, so maybe he was overreacting. Again. 

“Yeah, so? Do you want anything?” Whoever the host of this party was, Niall genuinely didn’t know, they had bought an impressive amount of free alcohol. 

“No, thanks, um… but come right back, okay?” No idea why Louis would care about that, honestly, but Niall didn’t answer because he was already about to walk away anyways. 

They had been here for hours, Niall couldn’t properly remember anymore, but by now it must have been like 2 or 3 am or maybe even later, not that it mattered. At least Niall had kinda forgotten about all his problems over the course of the last few drinks he had had and though somewhere in the back of his head he was still aware that he had been trying not to make a comment to Harry and Louis about them being so awfully close lately, he suddenly thought it was a brilliant idea.

Niall felt like he needed ages to get past everyone and to the kitchen. He had some drunken conversation on the way with people he barely knew or didn’t know at all, it was whatever at this point. Also, Niall didn’t immediately go back to Harry and Louis obviously, because why would he have? Instead, he chatted to someone he was pretty sure was in one of his classes while having another drink that almost went flying to the floor when somebody touched Niall’s shoulder. Honestly though, it was so loud, no one would have even noticed.

“Niall?” By now, Niall’s thought processing had slowed down immensely and it seemed to take him ages to realize it was Liam. Right, it made sense that he was here, actually. 

“Oh, hiii.” No idea why, but Niall suddenly turned into one of those people who always pretended to be overly excited upon seeing somebody, so he hugged Liam almost immediately, clearly startling him. “I didn’t know you were here. You could have told me.”

“Yeah, I- are you alone?” Liam sounded concerned once Niall had pulled away, but the younger boy simply ignored it.

“Nope. I’m here with Harry and, um… “ Somehow, Niall blacked out for a second and couldn’t for the life of him remember Louis’ name, so instead he burst out laughing. 

“How much have you had to drink?” The older boy asked as soon as Niall had kinda calmed down again, his hand still on the younger’s shoulder but honestly, Niall barely noticed. He was actually busy scanning a few faces, trying to figure out whether Harry and Louis were still over by the couch. “Niall?”

“Yeah, what?” The younger boy looked at Liam again, feeling slightly dizzy from having moved his head too quickly. He knew he was drunk as hell, but at the same time, he didn’t care at all.

“Are you okay? I can drive you home.” Liam seemed to be completely serious, but it still made Niall laugh.

“I don’t wanna go home.” No way, Niall was finally having some fun. “You smell really good.”

“Thanks, uh… maybe you should stop drinking, I think you’ve had enough.” And with that, Liam simply took the cup out of Niall’s hand and of course that was enough to completely set Niall off. 

“Um, what the fuck, can you stop? I know how much I can take, give it back.” Of course Niall being drunk didn’t really help this whole situation and Liam straight up refused to give the drink back anyways. “I don’t need you to baby me.”

“Well, clearly someone has to tell you to stop and if your friends don’t do it then I will.” He sounded upset now, which only got Niall more upset as well. “I’m not trying to baby you, Niall, but you can’t even stand straight anymore. Can you at least come and find me when you wanna go home?”

“And what if I don’t?” Maybe Niall would just leave, who knows, maybe he’d just straight walk out of here, was Liam going to chase him or some shit?

“Why wouldn’t you? I’m offering a free ride and you wanna take a taxi just to piss me off?” Well…. He did have a point, even drunk Niall could recognize that. “Just be careful. Please. Call or text me if you need anything.”

“Whatever.” Niall simply walked away, leaving Liam behind with his drink still in his hand. Not like Niall couldn’t have gotten himself a new one, so that’s exactly what he did once he had lost Liam out of sight. Who did he even think he was? Niall had survived perfectly well without knowing him before, he didn’t need a fucking babysitter.

Eventually, Niall did find his way back to Harry and Louis, though it was kind of by accident, but Niall actually didn’t mind all too much. They did comment on him drinking again, but honestly, they were also drunk, so they didn’t make as big of a deal out of it as Liam had before. Plus, Niall had quickly forgotten about him again anyways.

“You know sometimes… sometimes I feel like you guys are in love with each other or something, ‘cos you really do spend a lot of time together.” Niall just blurted out with it at some point while they were sitting by the stairs, which was a good thing because otherwise Niall would have surely fallen over at some point. 

There was no immediate answer, also, Niall wasn’t really looking at his friends or genuinely waiting for them to say something, he had actually mentally already moved on from the topic once more, instead scanning the living room, watching everybody else. And then, just when Louis was about to say something, Niall saw something across the room that completely flipped over his mood. “Why do y-“

“Look at Liam.” Niall simply interrupted him, for no particular reason other than the fact that he couldn’t draw his eyes away from Liam. It’s not like he was doing anything scandalous, not like he was snogging anybody or so, he was simply on the couch with his friends, and his arm was around some girl who had her head on his shoulder. 

“What about him?” Louis was understandably confused, nothing interesting was going on and yet Niall was kinda really upset all of a sudden. “I didn’t even notice he was here before.” 

“He took my drink from me because apparently I don’t know how much I can take.” Niall made it sound really ridiculous and he almost missed the look Harry and Louis threw at one another because he was busy emptying his cup. “Maybe I should-“

“No, no, don’t. Whatever you were about to do, just… don’t do it, Ni, seriously. Maybe we should leave, actually, I can call an Uber and-“

“I don’t wanna leave, no one else has left and you guys dragged me here. I’m gonna get another drink.” With that, Niall simply got up, having to use Harry’s shoulder as support, but somehow he still made it work before the others were able to hold him back. Or maybe they had given up on trying, that was a lot more likely.

Niall didn’t know why it affected him so damn much to see Liam with his friends and see them cuddling, it was probably because he was really drunk and now kinda emotional as well. Also, it didn’t really look like Liam genuinely cared about his well being anymore now, did it? He had probably just said what he had thought he was obliged to say before.

Or maybe Niall was just drunk, jealous and an idiot. 

Just because Niall was annoyed that Louis wanted to leave, he stayed away from them on purpose, no idea for how long, all he knew was that by the time he realized how much of a bad idea it had been to drink even more, it was already too late. Niall’s head was spinning like crazy and he could barely grasp a clear thought after a while and he also had no idea how Harry and Louis were suddenly there again as well, forcing him to sit down. Maybe Liam had forced them to look after him or something, sounded a lot like his annoying ass.

“Do you want some water? Are you gonna throw up?” Harry petting Niall’s back was making things even worse if Niall was being honest, but he just had his head in his hands by now, trying to breathe normally. “Lou, I don’t think anybody will even let us into their car with him. I could call my mom.”

“No, I… I’m gonna go get Liam, he looks really sober, he might have even come with his car.” What?!

“Nooo, don’t, Louis, don’t.” Niall was immediately freaking out, but he was way too uncoordinated to keep his friend from leaving while Harry remained next to him. “Fuck… I don’t want Liam.”

“I know, sorry. But we don’t know what else to do. It’ll be fine, Nialler.” Harry tried to make him feel better even if it clearly was Niall’s own damn fault. Though right now, all he was worried about was Liam coming here and thinking that he had been in the right all along, that Niall needed a babysitter and someone to drive him home and blahblah. Actually, Niall kinda wanted to cry right now. “Liam doesn’t look upset, don’t worry.”

“I’m not worried about upsetting him, I don’t even fucking care, I don’t need his help, I-“

“Why did no one stop him from getting this drunk?!” Honestly, now Liam DID sound angry.

“Uhh, he can do whatever he wants, we were drinking as well, he kept running away from us so what were we supposed to do? We told him to stop.” Great, were Louis and Liam just going to start fighting now or what? “It’s not our job-“

“Well, you’re his friends, aren’t you? Then it shouldn’t be a _job_ to keep your friend from drinking to the edge of passing out.” Yep, he definitely was upset. “I’ll get him home. Do you guys need a ride, or…?”

“No, thanks.” Louis denied pretty aggressively and it wasn’t a surprise why, but at this point, Niall was far too gone to really be bothered by any of this. 

“Can you get up by yourself?” Liam’s voice was a lot closer now and though Niall really didn’t want to, he lifted his head to look at the older boy, feeling a little bit as if he would puke right into his face any second. “Alright… c’mon.”

Honestly, Niall didn’t know how he managed to get up, all he knew was that he did try to push Liam off at some point but quickly realized he would have never made it outside without him, so he allowed the older boy to keep his arm around him in the end. Even if he hated every single second of it.

“Why did you do that? Why did you drink so much?” Once they were outside, Niall’s head immediately got a little clearer, his headache easing a bit as well now that it was so quiet. 

“I don’t know.” Niall half choked out, trying not to talk too much because he had a feeling somehow that it would have ended badly. Especially if he would have said what was really on his mind right now. 

“You should have come to me, I would have driven you home hours ago.” Liam didn’t sound annoyed, at least as far as Niall could tell, he sounded more worried if anything. 

“You looked busy with…. your _friend_.” If Niall hadn’t been drunk, he would have NEVER said that in a billion years, almost making it sound as if it was Liam’s fault or something, as if it was ANYBODY’S fault except Niall’s. But he was pretty drunk, so there was that. 

The other boy simply ignored him though, luckily having parked his car around the corner because Niall wasn’t sure how much longer he would have been able to walk without falling. He would regret this so much in the morning, but right now, Niall wasn’t really thinking anything besides the fact that his shirt had slipped up quite a bit and Liam’s hand was touching his bare skin. 

“Alright, just… no, wait.” Niall almost fell getting into the passenger seat, but Liam was there luckily, even making sure to put a seatbelt on the younger boy while Niall once again couldn’t keep his damn mouth shut because of Liam being so damn close to him momentarily.

“You’re so hot.” He was and he probably knew it, but still, probably not the best way to be subtle.

“Alright. Can you not touch anything while I’m walking around the car? And watch your fingers.” Liam barely even acknowledged what Niall had said, which was a good thing, but right now it only annoyed Niall.

He did behave himself while Liam walked around the car and got in, mesmerized by the smell of his cologne yet again even while intoxicated.

“Right… I should have probably put you in the backseat.” Was pretty much the first thing Liam said once he had started the car and gently but firmly moved Niall’s hand away from the radio. “Maybe you should try to sleep? I can carry you if-“

“Nope, I’m not even tired, not even a little bit.” Niall interrupted, actually much more interested in other topics, already having kinda forgotten that he had been upset with Liam a few minutes ago. “You should drive faster, I’m bored.”

“I’m going as fast as I can. How are you feeling? You seemed really poorly a few minutes ago.” Liam sounded even more worried, actually, but what was there to worry about?

“I’m much better now, I’m feeling great… can I touch your tatt-“

“No, you can’t, I need my arm, okay?” Again, Liam made sure to grab a hold of Niall’s wrist and put it back to where it belonged, holding on a bit longer though, probably to make sure the younger wouldn’t immediately try to reach over again. “You can once we’re home.”

“I need to pee.” Niall blurted out, because he kinda really did, even though he had probably been in that bathroom 3 times before.

“How badly? Do you think you can hold it for a few more minutes?” Liam sounded alarmed and maybe he did drive a bit faster, but like, Niall wasn’t sure because his head was spinning like crazy anyways. “On a scale from 1 to 10?”

“Hmm… 4… or 5. Or maybe… wait… what comes after? 6. It’s a 6.” The younger boy decided after some hesitation and honestly, it wasn’t Liam’s fault at all that the road was bumpy or so, but the slight movement the car made kinda was enough to cause Niall’s stomach to literally turn. Fuck. “Stop, I gotta… I gotta get out.”

“What? I can’t-“

“Stop the car!” He did, very abruptly and luckily it was some unholy hour in the morning, or somebody would have probably crashed into them. Not that Niall spent a thought on it, he fumbled quite a bit with the seatbelt, pressing his hand over his mouth before making it outside right in time for him to empty the entire containments of his stomach onto the sidewalk.

“Jesus Christ… “ Liam muttered, but it sounded as if he was standing a bit further away, probably because he was grossed out as hell, but it’s not like it really mattered anymore. Or as if Niall cared while puking his guts out. 

Niall didn’t know for how long he was throwing up for, it could have been seconds but it could have also been hours, all he knew was that once he was done, his mouth tasted like shit, his whole body was aching and he really felt like crying. And also, Liam was suddenly rubbing and petting his back, probably holding his breath though. And closing his eyes, if he was being smart.

“Do you feel better now?” The other boy asked after a while, still evenly rubbing Niall’s back, both of them waiting whether there was more to come. There wasn’t, luckily.

“No… I feel like shit.” Niall whined and though he had probably gotten some puke on himself and smelled like trash, he still turned around and wrapped his arms around Liam, causing him to stumble backwards before he hugged back. A new low for Niall, crying in the middle of the sidewalk next to his own vomit, sometime between 3 and 5 am while clinging to his step-brother, who he hadn’t only just met properly two weeks ago, but who he had also snogged. And still wanted to. “I w-wanna go home… “

“Everything will be okay, Niall, I promise. Let’s just get back in the car and then we’ll be home in a few minutes and you can go to sleep, yeah?” His voice was soft and gentle and it only made Niall cry even more. So basically, he had gone through pretty much every single emotion now during the past few hours. “And then tomorrow morning I can hold you a really long lecture about this night.”

“What?” Niall hadn’t really heard the last part, mostly because Liam had been saying it kinda quietly.

“Nothing. C’mon, let’s get you back in the car.” Liam did allow Niall to hold him for a bit longer, waiting until the younger boy was somewhat ready to let go of him.

This time, Liam made Niall lie down on the backseat, probably because the younger boy was too smashed to sit up properly by himself anyways. Niall probably made a few more comments about Liam’s looks, even while crying, but luckily the older boy was handling the situation almost as if he had done it before. 

By the time they got home, Niall was already half asleep, he had no real memory of the drive nor of getting out of the car, all he knew was that Liam had probably been half carrying him up the stairs. Or maybe he had fully carried him, it didn’t seem very unlikely, especially considering Niall couldn’t for the life of him keep his eyes open anymore once his back hit the mattress. Liam forced him to drink some water though, which Niall absolutely didn’t want, but he felt slightly better afterwards. Also, he might have been to the bathroom before getting into bed, he honestly couldn’t recall.

“Just sleep, if you wake up and you gotta throw up again there’s a bucket next to the bed, okay? Or wake me if anything else is going on.” No idea how Liam expected Niall to find his room in this state, but all the younger boy gave as an answer was a ‘Hm’ before he was completely passed out. 

 

\------------------------

 

The first thing Niall noticed upon waking up was the fact that his head heart so badly, he could barely stand it. Second, his mouth tasted foul, as if he hadn’t brushed his teeth in about… well, never. And third, he also felt really cold. 

It was dark in the room, but there was a slight shimmer of light coming in through the curtains and it hurt Niall’s eyes about 10 times more than usual as he buried his face in his pillow though the ache in his head wasn’t exactly allowing him to go back to sleep anyways. For a blissful moment or two, Niall had absolutely no memory of last night, except for maybe in the very beginning when they had arrived.

Slowly but surely though, everything came back to him in flashes and by the time Niall remembered puking on the side walk, he was almost DYING from embarrassment. To make matters even worse though, apparently he wasn’t alone in this room and him noisily searching for his phone didn’t go unnoticed.

“Are you okay?” Fuck. No… no, no, this couldn’t be real. “Niall?”

“Ummm… “ Literally, Niall had NO idea what to say at all, Liam’s voice wasn’t coming from anywhere on the bed but rather from the other side of the room and though Niall was hungover as hell, he suddenly realized that he didn’t have a couch in his room. Also, his sheets definitely didn’t feel like this and they also didn’t smell like Liam’s aftershave. Wow, that was it, Niall was ready to die. “No.”

“I can get you something for your head, you should probably also eat something and-“

“No, thanks.” Niall interrupted, his voice shaking as he just sat in Liam’s bed, not knowing how he was going to keep on living in this house. Or anywhere else. 

“Close your eyes for a moment.” As if Liam had only been waiting for it or something, he suddenly pulled the curtains back all at once, causing Niall to curse in pain. “Sorry, I thought you were still half asleep, I’ve been waiting for you to wake up for an hour.”

“I wasn’t.” Fuck, Niall’s head was hammering, he could barely even concentrate on the conversation and even Liam opening the window was too loud for him. Also, the wind felt kinda breezy on his skin and- “Why… why do I only have boxer shorts on? Oh my god… oh my god, I didn’t take my clothes off, did I?! I didn’t try to have sex with you, did I?!”

“No, you didn’t, don’t panic. I took your clothes off when you were already asleep, you kinda had vomit on them, so… sorry, if that was too personal, but I was only trying to help and also… it kinda smelled.” Oh god… no, this couldn’t possibly get any worse, there was NO way. “Here, drink something.”

By now, Niall had managed to blink his eyes open, not looking away from his lap though, making sure to pull the blanket up a bit higher when Liam came over to sit on the edge of the mattress, handing the younger boy a glass of water. “Why am I in your bed?”

“My room is closer to the stairs and the bathroom and I didn’t wanna leave you alone because I was scared you might choke on your vomit.” Wait…

“The…. the, uh… the bathroom?” No… 

“You didn’t miss the toilet, I was quite impressed. And you did it by yourself once I got you there, if… if that was a concern of yours.” Oh god, Liam had helped Niall to take a piss?! “Look, I know this is awkward b-“

“ _Awkward?!_ It’s… I don’t even… fuck, I… I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to… I didn’t want you having to take care of me or for any of this to happen, I… I told Louis not to go get you and then he did it anyways and… _fuck_. What else did I do? Did I try to like… kiss you or something?” Honestly… he might have, but Liam’s answer was even worse than a yes would have been.

“No… but it wouldn’t have been the first time anyways, so whatever.” WHAT?! 

“You… you, um, remember that?” Niall was about to cry, honestly.

“Yeah. I wasn’t sure if you did, but… we weren’t that drunk at that party. Not like you were last night and even if you had tried to kiss me again, I wouldn’t have done it in the state you were in, don’t worry.” At least Liam wasn’t dwelling on it, that was a good thing, but also a bad thing and furthermore… what did he mean? Would he have snogged Niall again if he had been a bit more sober? “You don’t have to be this embarrassed, about any of it, it’s already happened and I just wanna know if you’re like… okay. I mean, you don’t look so good and stuff, but if there’s anything that prompted you to drink this much, then we can talk about it and maybe I can try to help.”

“Uuuhh... “ Honestly, even if Niall had wanted to, he couldn’t have talked to Liam about it when he was half of Niall’s problems, could he? “I mean… I kinda, like… I was a bit, um, pissed at my friends. Like, all week.”

“The two that didn’t stop you from getting smashed?” Right, about that… “I feel kinda bad for snapping at them, I hadn’t realized how much of a difficult drunk you were at this point.”

“Can you not joke right now. Please?” Liam had honestly laughed next to Niall, the younger boy still not having looked at him just once though. And he probably never would again. 

“Hey, it’s half as bad. You didn’t puke or piss into my car, which I really appreciate, and other than snapping at me a few times you were actually just making me compliments the whole time.” Oh fuck… 

“Yeah, I, uh, I didn’t… I just… I say that stuff when… when I’m drunk. To anyone, really.” What did one more lie matter at this point?

“Right. Well, see, nothing bad happened, thankfully. You’ll feel better in a couple of hours and then maybe you’ll change your mind about wanting to talk.” He was really fixated on that idea, wasn’t he? 

“I don’t… there’s nothing I wanna talk about, but thank you, really… I appreciate everything you’ve done for me and… I’m really sorry, for whatever I said that was weird or… or creepy. I just got a bit too drunk because, as I said, like, me and my friends we… we kinda have some troubles and stuff. But I’m good otherwise, totally good, really. Sometimes I just get too drunk, because... I don’t know my limit. I don’t really drink that often and I didn’t really eat all day, so… “ Niall made some hand movement, almost wanting to add even more stupid shit, but thankfully he managed to keep the rest in. Liam must have thought he was an idiot. 

“My offer still stands anyways and in case you go to any more parties anytime soon… maybe you could come and let me know where you’re going, just in case.” Why couldn’t he just drop it?! Did he really wanna be Niall’s babysitter so bad? “Also something else…”

“Hm?” Niall almost choked on the water he had been drinking, accidentally looking at Liam for the tiniest second and immediately regretting it. God he looked so _good_ even after waking up. 

“You don’t, like… do you feel kinda, I don’t know… moody lately? Or like, super emotional about everything?” Was this a psychology lesson now?

“I mean… maybe, I don’t know. Why?” Honestly, Niall felt slightly offended, because what the fuck was Liam trying to point out with that question? 

Actually, Liam didn’t answer immediately, he simply reached out to press his palm against Niall’s forehead, almost making him jerk back because… what was up with him now? As if this whole situation wasn’t awkward enough already. 

“What are you doing? I’m fine, I just had too much to drink.” Also, Niall felt cold instead of warm, so why would Liam try to feel his temperature and study his face so intensely Niall was forced to look away again? “You’re kinda freaking me out.” 

Again, Liam hesitated, still looking at the younger boy and Niall made sure to drink some more water just to have something to do. “I’m just gonna say it, okay? And please don’t get mad at me.”

“Um, okay?” Why would Niall get mad at Liam now after everything he had done for him? Well, the answer to that was a bit more shocking than Niall could have ever made up even in his wildest dreams.

“I don’t think you’re actually a Beta.” What?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hiii, thank you all so much for all the lovely feedback so far and all the kudos! it really always gets me even more excited to keep on writing, especially if its the first chapter, so thank you, i really appreciate it <33
> 
> i hope you all enjoyed this chapter as well! im trying my hardest to do well on the whole ABO dynamics! 
> 
> let me know what your thoughts are if you feel like it :D


	3. Chapter 3

“What do you mean? Did you talk to my mom or something, she thinks tha-“

“No, I didn’t. I… “ Liam hesitated, looking away from Niall’s face as if HE was nervous about this, hell, Niall was about to lose his mind here. “I can smell you.”

“Yeah, uh, sorry about that, I guess we’re sitting a bit too close for me not having brushed my teeth after-“

“That’s not what I mean. Yes, you smell a bit like alcohol and puke” Niall threw a stunned look at Liam for that, because what the hell? Could he get to the point, what the hell was he even talking about?! “but you also smell like an Omega who’s going into heat.”

“I… _what?!_ I can’t, I… can you not use words like that, please?” Oh god, what if Liam was right? Or maybe he was just messing with Niall, maybe he was trying to lighten the mood? If so then he had a really terrible sense of humor.

“What, _heat?_ Right, I forgot you judge everything that isn’t related to Betas.” Somehow, Liam sounded like he was joking, but at the same time… it seemed like he kinda wasn’t. “Why did you ever think that you are one?”

“Um?! Because of the obvious fact that I never presented as any of the other two?” Was Liam stupid? “I still don’t feel any different so I have no idea what you’re even talking about. I’m 20 years old, I think I know what I am. Or am not.”

“You don’t feel different, really? What about your mood swings? And your sudden problems with your friends? And you commenting how I smell?” Okay, okay, this was going a little far.

“I was DRUNK, Liam, my god… even if I WAS an Omega, doesn’t mean I’d automatically want you, you know.” Because he already had before, but Niall could barely hold in his anger that was mixed with confusion but also worries and most of all fear. So yeah, Liam definitely had a point regarding those mood swings and Niall being emotional, but that was about it really.

“That’s not what I was saying, at all. Can we stay serious for just a minute?” Niall rolled his eyes at that, but he didn’t say anything and Liam seemed thankful for it. “Thanks. Look, I know you’re 20 years old, but – and don’t rip my head off for saying this – I get a feeling you’ve never spent any time around somebody who wasn’t a Beta as well. At least not nearly as much time as we have been spending together in just two weeks, we even use the same bathroom. And also, we snogged, but I’m gonna leave that out for now.”

“Okay, so what are you saying? Your presence made me an Omega?” Oh my god… what if it had?!

“Possible. On top of that you’re probably a late bloomer or something, but I think you moving in here really triggered your inner Omega. I’m sure it would have happened sooner or later anyways, but… “ But Liam thought he was such a mighty Alpha that he had the power to change people’s DNA? “I can just tell you what I’m smelling. Plus, your forehead is burning up and you’re having mood swings AND you’re really emotional, which are all things people experience before they first present. But I can’t judge half these things because I only know you since two weeks.”

“You’re nuts. Sorry, but… I probably just smell like shit and maybe I am a moody person and maybe I have a fever and maybe my friends are annoying and MAYBE I just thought your cologne smelled really nice, okay?” Oh… oops. 

“Okay, I stand corrected… you did NOT comment on how I personally smell.” The corners of Liam’s mouth were twitching, which Niall only saw briefly because he had already turned his head away again, his cheeks growing hot. What was his problem?! “Seriously though… I think I’m right.” 

“Do you ever think you’re wrong?” Seriously?

“Not usually.” Liam answered jokingly, as if all this was a joke, as if he hadn’t just tried to tell Niall that his whole life had been a lie. Well, not his whole life, only about the past 5 or 4 years or so when he should have presented. But then again, maybe Liam was wrong, how could he even smell Niall through the alcohol and puke? “Maybe you should, you know, talk to your mom.”

“Why would I talk to my mom?” Honestly, what did Liam want from Niall? Why did he even want him to do anything at all?

“I don’t know, before you just said something about me talking to your mom, I thought maybe that means she’s also suspected you’re not a Beta.” Right, shit, Niall shouldn’t have said that. 

“She only says that sometimes because… I don’t know, because nothing happened, like, I never felt any different than before and-“

“You should have though, you should have felt like a Beta even if it doesn’t bring any real changes. You’re an Omega.” Oh god, could he shut up?! “So you should probably get on some pills.”

“Ummm, we’ve known each other for two weeks and you’re telling me I should get on pills?!” The fact that Niall was still half naked in Liam’s bed with a headache wasn’t really helping this situation, but at least he had forgotten about last night. Momentarily.

“I mean, you don’t have to of course, if you wanna be unsafe during your heat and-“

“Please stop saying that.” What if Liam was right? What if Niall… oh god.

“My point is… “ Liam started, suddenly stopping for a second, as if he wasn’t really sure how to continue. “I’m an Alpha, you’re most likely an Omega and… we live in the same house, we’re not related, our rooms are next to each other and… things could happen.”

“You know what… I’m just gonna go now, and have a shower and forget you ever said any of this.” Liam wanted him to get on pills so that he wouldn’t feel the urge to fuck him? Great Saturday morning, casual. 

“Niall, wait, I just… this is serious, okay? You can do whatever you want obviously, but if you need anything, if you want me to come with you to a doc-“

“I really don’t.” Niall cut him off, more freaked out now than ever but he tried really hard to keep his cool. “Thanks again for last night, I’m sorry for getting vomit on you.”

“It’s all good… your clothes are in dryer.” All this would have been a lot easier had he not been so damn nice.

“Thanks.” Though it was awkward, Niall still got out of bed with just his boxer shorts on, grabbing his phone from the nightstand that Liam must have put there. It had run out of battery, but he didn’t really feel like turning it on anyways.

Niall could hear his mother and Liam’s dad downstairs, so he made sure to be rather quick walking into the bathroom and locking himself in, having a few minutes to himself just to think. Staring into the mirror, Niall looked like absolute trash, his hair was a mess and sticky and his eyes were so red that his mother would have probably asked him if he had taken any drugs had she seen him like this. 

Somehow, Niall couldn’t help but stare at his reflection and try to imagine that he was actually an Omega, even though he was aware that it was stupid to think his appearance would change. Nobody would have even noticed except if they were able to smell him, so that already excluded both Harry and Louis, and Niall’s mother and Liam’s dad because they were all Betas. Which was a really good thing because other than Liam, no one would even notice. Well, unless some stranger ever commented on it or if Niall really did go… into heat. Maybe he should have gotten some pills, and pretended none of this had ever happened.

Then again, Niall also wasn’t 100% sure why he even cared so much. 

At his old apartment, they had had limited warm water, so now that that wasn’t an issue anymore, Niall just stayed under the shower for probably half an hour, hoping to feel more human again. He also brushed his teeth for like 20 minutes to make sure the taste of puke really was gone and just because he was already at it he stole some of Liam’s floss, because he still somehow felt dirty. Damn Liam for being so damn healthy, how could he even maintain that?

When Niall was finally back in his room, clean and dressed in some more comfortable clothes that didn’t reveal almost his entire body, he finally took something for his headache before charging his phone even if he wasn’t sure if he was ready to see the messages he had probably received from Harry and Louis. Mostly Louis probably, Harry was never this pushy.

For a second, Niall thought he had gotten zero messages once his phone had turned back on, but before he could have gotten upset, they started coming in and he wished he wouldn’t have wanted any just a second ago. They were indeed mostly from Louis, ranging from “Hope you’re alright” to “Liam’s a dick” to “Nevermind he just apologized to me on Instagram” to “Did you snog him again” to “I’m never going to another party with you again”.

Of course Niall didn’t answer all the messages, he first of all only replied to Harry, who had simply been asking whether he was alright, slightly upset that Liam had apologized to Louis. So Niall must have behaved so bad that Liam thought it was impossible to stop him from drinking? Also, why did Liam even care what Louis thought about him?

While Niall was trying to figure out how to be really subtle about asking Louis what exactly Liam had said when he had apologized, he received a new message. Speak of the Devil.

 

_Liam 13:17  
Your mom asked where you are, I told her we went out together last night and you’re tired, I hope that’s okay. She seemed happy about it_

 

Of course Niall’s mom was happy about it, probably not about the going out part but the part where Niall and Liam got along well and spent their free time together. Niall just briefly thanked Liam, wanting to go back to answering Louis, but he didn’t really get the chance to.

 

_Liam 13:17  
You should really eat something btw_

 

It was his thing, wasn’t it? Being so over-caring that it almost, or certainly, got slightly annoying after a while. Niall really wondered whether Liam was like this with everybody, like, with his friends and stuff, or whether he was just the exception because they were living in the same house and because Liam felt somehow responsible. For whatever reason, maybe because he was a bit older or maybe it actually was because he was an Alpha, Niall honestly didn’t care all too much.

He just told Liam he would eat later before going back to texting Louis, making sure to tell him he was too busy to talk on the phone even though that was a lie of course. Niall just didn’t feel like talking to anybody today or doing something that would have required him to get out of bed. Instead, he was just lying there, thinking about everything Liam had said and googling stuff about people who had had happen to them what was apparently happening to Niall.

He wasn’t sure if it really mattered, maybe Niall was slightly biased, maybe he just needed to get over it and get on some pills and pretend everything was fine. Then again, if he was an Omega, people would still be able to smell it on him and that wasn’t actually the part Niall was afraid of but rather the fact that Liam would be able to. And the other way around.

If Niall was an Omega, wouldn’t his body kinda be attracted to Liam somehow? Like, even more than normally? And in general, what else would change? Like, about Niall as a person? If he was already being moody and shit, other things might happen as well. Or maybe Liam had just been reading too much into it, like, he didn’t even know Niall so why would he know who or what he was?

Still, the sole thought that Liam could be right was enough to keep Niall in his room researching the matter while at the same time trying to come up with a plan on what to if it turned out to be true.

At some point, Niall’s mother came into the room to ask what he was doing and luckily he convinced her that he was just studying so she quickly left again. Louis tried to call Niall twice, but he ignored that as well and when it was already evening, Niall was rudely awoken from his nap that he had taken on accident when somebody was knocking on the door.

“What?” Niall was absolutely sure that it was his mother, probably wanting to force him to come out of his room, but he was 20 years old for god’s sake, couldn’t he do what he wanted?!

“Can I come in?” Shit, that definitely wasn’t Niall’s mother.

It was Liam and though Niall had no desire to speak to him really, he still got up out of bed, his head feeling slightly dizzy as he went over to the window so he could open it and at least pretend like he hadn’t spent all day in here. Even though that was stupid as hell because obviously Liam knew it anyways since he lived here as well, but he had probably gone out at some point, so…

“Um, okay?” Niall tried to sound casual when he sat back on his bed, throwing a glance in the mirror right when Liam walked in as if it would have changed anything. 

“How are you feeling? I got you something.” When Liam came in, he of course looked amazing, clearly having been out, but what drew Niall’s attention even more was the McDonald’s bag in his hands. “Some hangover breakfast.”

“It’s evening.” Was all Niall replied without thinking, not knowing what to say as he watched Liam closing the door before coming over, placing the bag in the younger boy’s lap before sitting down on Niall’s chair by his desk, spinning it around so he could face him. “Thank you, I… I’m not really hungry though.”

“Trust me, you’ll feel better if you eat it, normally I’d strongly disagree with eating junk food, but since you’re not eating anything else… I even asked Louis what you usually get.” Oh no… “He seemed very keen to help.”

“I can imagine that.” Niall suppressed a sigh, not being able to resist looking into the bag though because he was definitely hungry and Liam had gone out of his way to buy it, so… “Why did you apologize to him?”

“I snapped at him and your other friend, it wasn’t fair, I don’t even know them. I was just shocked to see you that way.” Great. “Not that I’m like trying to make you feel bad or anything, I’m really not, it’s already over and we know why it happened anyways.”

“We don’t know anything.” God, now Niall was annoyed again, but that still didn’t keep him from eating the food Liam had brought him. 

“I think we do, Niall, even if you’re trying to deny it. I don’t know why you’re so freaked out by the idea, you’re still you.” Liam sounded as if he was consoling a child or something and Niall would have been upset had he not been so busy keeping his mouth full.

“Am I though?” He asked after swallowing, looking past Liam out of the window. It still bothered him that Liam had apologized to Louis and that they were talking to each other, actually, it was almost making him furious. 

“Of course. It’s normal to go through some emotional stuff before presenting but that doesn’t mean you’re gonna be a different person or anything. I’m sure you’d feel a lot better if you’d talked to someone about it since you don’t wanna talk to me.” At least he was correct with that.

“I don’t wanna talk to anybody about it because it might not even be true.” And just because Niall couldn’t take it, he just HAD to embarrass himself. “And please don’t talk to Louis about it.”

“Why would I do that?” Liam sounded surprised, but like… was it so unlikely?

“I don’t know, you’ve talked to him twice already, so… I don’t know what kinda stuff you guys talk about.” Niall knew he sounded bitter and he also wasn’t looking at Liam because he actually hated himself for being so jealous all the time. Maybe because all this had happened before with Harry and Louis. 

“Niall, we literally only talked twice, I apologized, he said it was fine, then I asked what your McDonald’s order is and he listed almost the whole menu and I told him thanks. That’s all.” Liam explained calmly, and yet… “Why does it bother you so much? Do you not want us to talk?”

“I don’t care if you do.” Niall lied, shrugging before taking another bite just so he wouldn’t have to talk again. 

There was some silence, a really uncomfortable one because Niall just KNEW that Liam was putting things together right now and probably figuring it all out. “You liked that I snapped at them, didn’t you? That I told them off for not stopping you?”

“I was drunk, I can’t even properly remember.” Another lie, and Niall’s face was turning hot at the same time, probably giving him away. “It’s really whatever, okay? Can we stop talking about my friends?”

“If you want to, of course.” It was always easy to change the topic with Liam because he always immediately gave in, never pushing Niall to do anything. Which was a good thing of course, but it didn’t change the fact that Liam was probably slowly realizing what was going on. “I don’t care about Louis, I don’t even know him. If that makes you feel better.”

Niall just shrugged, not giving another answer because it wouldn’t have changed anything. Plus, he would have just made his feelings even more transparent. So instead, Niall carried on eating, not saying anything when Liam started looking through some of the uni books that were lying on Niall’s desk, not commenting them or anything. It didn’t bother Niall though that Liam just stayed in here, as long as he wasn’t talking about Niall being an Omega or his friends then it was all good. Still, once Niall was done eating, he was really surprised by Liam’s suggestion.

“Let’s go on a walk.” It didn’t sound like Liam had been joking. At all. “You don’t have to work tonight, do you?”

“No, I don’t, um… why would we go on a walk?” Genuinely, Niall had no idea what Liam’s intentions were or what he thought would come out of this. 

“Because one, you’ve been in here all day, two, your mother thinks she needs to call a doctor and three, I wanna show you something.” Okay, none of these things were making Niall wanna get out of bed, but Liam didn’t even wait for an answer anyways. “In five minutes downstairs?”

“Ummm… “ Niall didn’t want to, but Liam had already gotten up and also, it didn’t appear as if he was leaving the younger boy a choice. Knowing Liam, he would have just come in here again if Niall didn’t come downstairs and gotten onto his nerves until the younger boy would have agreed. “Okay?”

Once Liam had left, Niall needed a moment to collect himself, not quite sure what he was going to do now. He only changed his shirt in the end and briefly checked the mirror, taking his phone with him after some quiet debating with himself. Who knew what would happen, it wouldn’t have been smart to leave it behind.

When Niall walked downstairs, five minutes had surely already passed and he almost wanted to go back upstairs when he heard Liam talking to his mother by the door. Oh god, why?

“Oh, hi, honey, how are you doing?” She was probably being sarcastic, Niall was pretty sure she was. 

“I’m fine, I was studying.” Niall lied, refraining from rolling his eyes or looking at Liam or his mother and instead simply going to put on his shoes. At least now he really wanted to leave, so that was something. 

“Your eyes are a bit red.” Niall’s mother noted and she KNEW what was going on, so why was she trying to embarrass him?

“The air is like… dry.” What else would Niall have said? “Let’s go.”

“Well, enjoy your walk, okay?” What had Liam told Niall’s mother? It seemed as if she knew, but that could have also been due to the fact that she seemed to always know what was going on even without anybody telling her. Or maybe Niall was just paranoid. 

“Thanks.” It was Liam who answered, Niall had already left the house, walking slowly down to the street so the older boy could catch up with him. Right, Niall should have probably brought something warmer to put on, but he definitely wasn’t going to go back now. “I like your mom, she’s nice.”

Niall made sure to throw a look back and check whether the door was closed before answering once Liam had caught up with him. “What did you tell her?”

“Nothing? I told her we were out last night and you’re a bit tired and that we’re going on a walk. She just asked me a bunch of stuff about me.” Of course. “Don’t you already feel better?”

“Not really.” Most of all, Niall felt cold, but he couldn’t say that. Maybe it was a good sign, because Liam had told him before that his forehead was hot and that it was a sign, but if Niall felt cold then maybe that meant Liam was wrong. “Where are we going?”

“Up that hill behind the house. Do you think you will manage?” Actually, Niall wasn’t sure, he was already getting tired and they were just walking down the street.

“Probably. So what did you wanna show me? The hill?” It had probably just been a trick to get Niall to agree although Niall would have agreed anyways because he knew Liam too well by now and he knew he wouldn’t have been able to talk himself out of it except if he had thrown a real fit. “I can see it from my window.”

“But you’ve never walked up, have you?” No, and Niall also had no desire to but since they were already doing it… “Come on, don’t pull that face.”

“I’m not doing anything, that’s just my normal face.” Also, he was definitely pulling a face but was trying to get it under control. It wasn’t Liam Niall was upset with, it was just the whole entire world, himself included. “I’m cold.”

“Do you want my jumper?” Yes.

“No, then I’ll be too warm.” Also, then he’d be way too embarrassed and Niall didn’t wanna get used to spending so much time with Liam and wearing his clothes and whatnot, because he knew that the older boy simply felt bad for him for whatever reason. 

“We could also jog a bit, or race up the hill or something.” Okay, Liam was clearly joking, he smiled when Niall threw an annoyed look at him. Hell, he could barely even stand to walk in a normal pace. 

“You can if you want to, I’ll meet you up there in like 3 hours.” Liam worked out a lot, so obviously he would have either slowed down for Niall or simply taken off and the younger boy didn’t know what would have been more embarrassing. 

“Better not, you might just turn around and go back home.” True. “It won’t even take one hour.”

“We’ll see about that.” Niall was walking probably as slowly as humanly possible and Liam didn’t comment it, but it was obvious that he wanted to go faster. Which wasn’t going to happen though because the younger boy was tired, grumpy and still hungry even after everything he had eaten.

At least they didn’t discuss anything serious on their walk, Liam just pointed out a few things in the neighborhood and once they started walking uphill, through a small forest, Niall immediately felt a little bit warmer, now glad that he hadn’t accepted Liam’s jumper. Still, all this was so bloody weird, the fact that Liam even felt any desire to spend time with Niall after last night and also this morning, Niall had been nothing but annoying and rude and after this whole Omega discussion, he just couldn’t stop being on the edge of freaking out all the time. 

Somehow, and even though Niall would have never admitted it of course, being outside kinda made him feel better physically, he probably shouldn’t have been holed up in his room all day and maybe he should have actually eaten proper food, but it was too late for that now anyways. At least it was only Saturday, so he didn’t feel all too bad for having pushed his uni work to the back of his head because he wouldn’t have been able to concentrate on any of it even if his life had depended on it. Or his grades. 

When they finally reached the top, Niall was embarrassingly exhausted while Liam looked just like he had before, it was like his hair hadn’t even moved an inch and his breath wasn’t going any faster and apparently, he didn’t ever sweat. 

“Do you ever work out?” Liam asked, probably as a joke but he seemed a bit concerned when he studied Niall’s face, his eyes briefly going down to where Niall was holding his slightly hurting side. 

“Can you stop being rude?” Seriously, that question had been slightly rude. “Not everyone is a model.”

“I was just joking. Are you okay?” Well, clearly, Niall wasn’t completely okay, but at least he’d be able to sleep at night. 

“I’m fine. So what did you wanna show me?” Niall stopped holding his side, but it was still hurting a little bit and he was trying not to let it show and to normalize his breathing.

“The view and the fact that physical exercise makes you feel better.” Sadly, this time it sounded as if Liam was being serious. 

For a second, Niall just threw a look at Liam and then down the hill, at Liam’s dad’s house and the neighborhood, a bit further to where he could have almost seen the part of the city where the apartments were less expensive, aka where he had lived all his life. “I’m gonna go sit down.”

Liam just wordlessly followed when Niall walked towards the bench before changing his mind in the matter of a few seconds and instead going to lie in the spider web swing of the small playground. Thank god no one else was there except for them because otherwise, Niall might have had to stand and actually admire the view. 

It wasn’t super comfortable if Niall was being honest, but it was better than nothing, so he let his eyes fall closed so he wouldn’t have to look at Liam. “Are you gonna fall asleep in there?”

“I might.” Niall answered, though he was too uncomfortable to actually sleep. “The view is nice but all the walking actually made me feel worse.” 

“It’s still better for you than to just lie in bed all day. And once we’ll get back home you’ll feel better.” Liam sat down on the edge of the swing, next to were Niall’s feet were, but the younger boy only felt it, not feeling like opening his eyes again.

“Why do you even care?” It was a genuine question, because Niall had been asking himself what Liam’s intentions were pretty much every single time that he had been so overly nice to him. It seemed he was just a kind person with a good heart, but still, he barely even knew Niall.

“Why wouldn’t I care?” Well, Niall could have thought about a hundred reasons why. “I don’t know what’s going on in your life, but it seems it’s really stressing you out and I’d try to help if you’d let me.”

“Nothing’s going on, just, I’ve had problems with my friends and… this whole Omega thing and… the move… “ Okay, Niall shouldn’t have said the last part, but it was already too late for that. “Not that I don’t wanna live in your dad’s house, it’s all just… a big change. And uni and everything else and… but it’s no real problems, I’m fine.”

“If they’re your problems then they are real.” Liam commented and Niall simply shrugged, hating himself for ever even speaking up in the first place. It’s not like Liam could have helped him anyways, not really. “What about uni?”

“Nothing, I’m just not very good, is all. But I wasn’t very good in high school either so that’s not a shocker… “ Otherwise he wouldn’t have had to repeat a whole year. “It’s really nothing, it’s just everything at once.”

“Do you wanna talk?” Probably the fifth time Liam had offered and for a second, Niall wanted to say yes, but then instead, he shook his head even if it hurt against the hard material of the swing. It wouldn’t have changed anything. 

They were both silent for maybe a minute or even more and it was only when Liam gently ordered Niall to move over that the younger boy realized what he had done by lying down on this swing. When Liam was lying next to him, their sides were pretty much squished together and luckily Liam had long sleeves or they would have been lying skin to skin and Niall already had trouble keeping a clear mind from just this.

He kept his eyes closed, trying to be as calm as somehow possible, but there was just one thing that he noticed almost right away, that made him wanna sigh as he slowly let it sink in. Maybe Niall had known it all along when Liam had first said it, but it was still a weird concept to him. “I can smell you.”

“I didn’t put on any co-“

“That’s not what I mean.” Niall hated that he had to clarify, but at least Liam immediately got it, waiting for a moment before answering the single worst thing he could have possibly said. 

“I can smell you too.” Not that Niall hadn’t known before or anything, however, hearing it again just seemed like more confirmation that he didn’t want. Fuck, now he really had to go to a doctor or something. 

They didn’t talk anymore after that for the next few minutes, the swing was moving a little but not to a point where Niall would have felt sick so that was nice. He never got used to lying so close next to Liam or the way he smelled, but it was all good as long as they didn’t do anything else other than just staying in the exact position they were in. 

Maybe Liam had been right, maybe walking up here had made Niall feel slightly better despite his realization.

 

\-------------------------

 

Niall knew he should have told his mother but he didn’t, he also didn’t tell Harry or Louis or anybody for that matter. Liam knew of course, but Niall kinda didn’t wanna talk about it in further detail with him either, even after they had been lying on that swing for an hour and only gotten back home when it had already been dark outside. Of course Liam didn’t stop checking in on Niall the next day, but he was gone almost all Sunday doing whatever while Niall tried to catch up on some uni work while dodging suggestive questions from Louis before going to work in the late afternoon. 

Naturally, on Monday when Niall didn’t show up to uni, Louis was only getting even more curious. 

 

_Louis 08:34  
Where are you???? i cant take this class on my own_

 

The fact that they had classes together even though Louis was one year ahead of Niall probably said more about him than it did about Niall, but Niall didn’t really feel any sympathy towards Louis right now when he texted him back that he had overslept. Which, of course, was a tiny bit of a lie, but he couldn’t have possibly told him the truth. 

“Niall Horan?” Niall almost dropped his phone when the doctor call out his name, hurrying to get up and make it to her door even though there was only one other person there with him, a woman whose name clearly was not Niall Horan. “Hi, Niall.”

“Hi.” The only reason why Niall had even convinced himself to come was because he had been to this doctor pretty much all his life and also because it’s not like he had had much of a choice, right? 

“Please take a seat. What can I do for you?” She was really nice, although Niall couldn’t remember the last time he had been here, but she could clearly remember him. 

“So, um… I kinda… figured something out.” Niall didn’t really know how to start this conversation even with a medical professional, because like… she’d also think it’s weird that he only just now realized he was an Omega being 20 years old, right? Maybe something was wrong with his body. “I’m… an Omega.”

“Okay?” She seemed not too shocked, actually, but maybe she hadn’t checked his file before he had come in here.

“Actually, I… I used to think I’m a Beta because, um, nothing really… nothing happened when I was around 14 or 15 and… but I just, I moved in with someone, who is like… an Alpha and… well, things changed and he thinks it’s because I’ve been around him so much and stuff and I’ve started feeling kinda different, like I’m really emotional and moody and I can suddenly tell what someone is by their smell and… but I’m 20 and I don’t know if something’s wrong with me and I don’t know what to do.” Well, that had been one hell of a mess. 

“Well, first of all, I hope I can calm you if I tell you that I’m pretty sure nothing is wrong with you. What you’re describing does indeed sound as if you’re presenting as an Omega even if you’re 20 years old, some people just go through it later or some even sooner, it’s not untypical at all. And if you moved in with an Alpha, it could possibly trigger the process or quicken it. We can take a blood sample to be absolutely sure if you’d like.” Actually…

“Is that necessary? I mean, I… I’m not so good with needles and like… won’t I know anyways in a few days?” If he went into… heat. Oh god, just the word was giving Niall shivers. 

“We don’t have to take a blood sample if you don’t want to of course, I also think that it’s pretty clear what is happening, but maybe it would be beneficial just for a general health check up.” Great.

“Um, okay, yeah, that’s… that’s fine.” If Niall would pass out, he was never going to come back here again.

Luckily, the doctor drew the blood really quickly while Niall was looking into the opposite direction, focusing on breathing as normally as possible. Afterwards, she did some other smaller tests, like checking his pulse and his temperature and once all that was over, she sat down once more with a look that caused Niall to get slightly nervous. “Alright, now that that is done, I would like to discuss some things with you.”

“Um, okay.” She was gonna do it, wasn’t she? She was gonna give Niall the TALK, only from the perspective of an Omega and she was going to expect him to be completely mature about it because he was an adult.

“First of all, the Alpha you were mentioning, that you moved in with, are you in a relationship? And if so, are you sexually active?” Amazing.

“No, he’s my step brother, we only met a few weeks ago, so… it’s totally not that way. I’m… I’m not dating anyone… or having sex.” Niall knew why she had asked and that she obviously had to ask, but it still caused him to blush.

“Okay, in this case, you will probably want to look into how to properly handle your heat once it gets to that point.” And the next 40 minutes were pretty much the beginning of the end for Niall. 

When Niall walked out of the doctor’s office, his face was burning like never before and he was holding a prescription in his hand that he was pretty sure nobody could even read anymore because he had been playing with it way too much. God, had he known this woman would talk about pregnancy and knotting and asses for so long, he would have definitely not come. No way. Like, he had known all this stuff before, just not in so much damn detail. 

At least Niall had the prescription though, even though he wasn’t quite sure whether he’d be able to afford it, but it’s not like he had much of a choice. The pills wouldn’t suppress his heat, they’d just make it easier to deal with and well… prevent him from like… getting pregnant, although his doctor had also given him quite a speech about what to do in case he decided not to take the pills anymore or if he wanted to switch to different ones. Not like Niall would feel a desire to do that anytime soon. 

He texted Louis back on his way outside, apologizing for having left him alone, and he also texted back Liam, who also didn’t know that Niall had been at the doctor’s, but who seemed to have randomly wanted to check on him. Somehow, Niall felt flattered by the fact that Liam seemed to care so much about him, but at the same time he couldn’t help but feel a little unsure about it. Also, he wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to give in to all this, because who knew if Liam randomly decided to stop at some point. 

They still didn’t really know each other for that long, but it kinda felt like it somehow, especially because of everything that had already happened in that time. Still, it would have made more sense for Liam to simply care because he felt responsibility due to the fact that their parents were dating. Also, he had known that they had snogged all this time and it hadn’t phased him at all, so that was another clear indicator that he didn’t see Niall like _that_ at all. Which should have been a good thing, but Niall wasn’t really that sure how he felt about it. 

Niall had skipped two classes for the doctor’s and he almost came late to his lecture as well, slipping in right after the professor, who luckily didn’t care. Without thinking really, Niall walked all the way up and to the back, finding Harry almost right away even though he was busy writing something down although the lecture hadn’t even started yet.

“Hi.” Niall tried not to startle his friend when he sat down next to him, but everyone else was still talking as well so that was fine. 

“Oh, hi. You’re alive.” Harry sounded honestly impressed, immediately looking up from where he had been drawing doodles around the name of the lecture on top of his sheet. He was always the one everyone went to if they needed to borrow some notes. “Louis said he thinks you might have switched uni without telling us.”

“I would have told you if I had. Not him though.” It was a joke, hopefully from both sides, but Niall was trying hard right now to not be upset or angry or an otherwise unpleasant friend. Now that he knew what was up with him, and even if he couldn’t suppress it or anything, he was trying harder to be a bit more… relaxed about things. 

“Thanks, I appreciate it. Are you okay though?” He was clearly referring to last Friday and the fact that he was two hours late, but Niall made sure to nod anyways, even if he wasn’t that sure. There would come a point where he would have to tell his friends the truth, but he didn’t wanna do it without really understanding it himself. “And… are you and Liam okay?”

“Yeah, I mean… he doesn’t really care about what happened, so… “ Obviously Niall hadn’t told anybody about him puking onto the sidewalk or sleeping in Liam’s bed, but there really was no reason for anyone to know, was there? 

“Do you remember anything that happened?” No idea why Harry would ask that or why he would even care, but Niall just shrugged, not really wanting to talk about it anymore if he was being honest. 

“No really, just a few bits. Why?” The professor was starting the lecture in the front, so luckily they had gone over to whispering and then both shut up after Harry had told Niall he had just been wondering. Weird.

Luckily, Harry didn’t start again with that topic after the lecture was over and they walked to their next class together, simply discussing some homework they had had over the weekend, for which Niall was really glad because he hadn’t really known how to do it. It was easier to talk about serious stuff with Harry because he wasn’t as pushy as Louis, but then again, Louis may have been a bit too nosy, but Niall also knew that he wouldn’t have hesitated to literally punch somebody for him. So really, he didn’t like either of them more or less, which maybe made it even harder that each of them clearly had a best friend, and it wasn’t Niall.

They did meet up with Louis for lunch and though he asked Niall a few questions, he seemed to have bought the story about him oversleeping. There wasn’t really a reason for any of them to mistrust Niall’s words though because he had definitely overslept before and also, he had made sure to bury those pills in the depths of his backpack after taking one.

“So, are we hanging out today or what?” Sadly, this had been bound to happen at some point and Niall knew he wouldn’t be able to talk himself out of it forever. Besides, they were his friends. “Niall?”

“I’ve got time today.“ Niall shrugged, sipping on the water he had brought because there had been nothing else in the fridge. Not because he had thought Liam would have approved of that choice.

“Great, we all get off at the same time anyways, right? So we’ll just meet by Harry’s car?” No idea where his car was, but Niall supposed he would eventually find it, so he just nodded, watching Louis’ face grow a lot happier, as if he really wanted them all to hang out. “Are your parents home, Haz?”

“No, just my sister, but she’s probably not gonna stay home anyways, so we’re good.” They all still lived at home because they hadn’t moved to another city to go to uni, so it had been the obvious choice and also, they were all broke anyways and living in the dorms would have made no sense. “We can finally use the new TV my parents bought.”

“Sick. I promise I won’t eat things out of the fridge this time.” No idea what they were talking about, but it was probably some kinda inside joke.

They kept going like this for a bit while Niall pretended to be busy with his phone before finally deciding that he was really hungry and that water just wasn’t doing it for him. None of the others wanted anything, so Niall walked over to where the food was sold by himself, having taking his backpack with him, just in case. 

The thing Niall hadn’t considered though was that after buying those pills, he didn’t have any cash left, at all, and the uni cafeteria didn’t take cards, which left Niall in a bit of a stupid situation once he noticed while queueing up. There was no ATM anywhere and it’s not like he had a lot of money in general, but he also didn’t wanna have to starve all day and he couldn’t have asked Harry and Louis because they were broke themselves. Also, he kinda didn’t wanna ask them.

Niall’s eyes got stuck on Liam without even having searched for him. He was standing there with a group of friends, obviously not having seen Niall though. The thought of simply going over and asking Liam to borrow him money seemed kinda bold and also stupid, but what else was Niall supposed to do? Also, something, and he wasn’t really sure what, but something was making the urge to just go over and talk to him unbearable. Like, something inside Niall just always wanted to be around Liam and make sure Liam really enjoyed spending time with him too.

So naturally, Niall was walking over without really having thought it through or considering the fact that he was maybe being annoying or clingy, but honestly, they were adults, surely Liam wouldn’t mind, right? He always told Niall he could come to him if anything was up. Almost like a real big brother, but using those words for Liam actually made Niall shudder.

“Um, Liam?” Niall was more nervous than expected when he reached Liam, mostly because his friends immediately stared at him when Niall approached them before softly tapping Liam on the shoulder. 

“Hm?” He turned around with a confused look on his face which almost made Niall worry but then Liam quickly broke out into a smile, making Niall blush by giving him half a hug without even hesitating, pressing their cheeks together shortly and fuck, he smelled so bloody good. “Where did you come from?”

“Just, uh, from over there. Can I… maybe… borrow two pounds from you?” Niall said it as fast as possible, and as quietly as possible even if Liam’s friends didn’t seem very interested in their conversation anyways. “I don’t have any cash, I’ll pay you back at home.”

“Oh, yeah, sure.” Liam simply took out his wallet without thinking about it, giving Niall a fiver instead. “Just pay me back whenever, it’s fine.”

“Okay, thank you, I-“

“Wait, do you need a ride home today?” The younger boy had been about to leave, but Liam lightly took a hold of his arm to keep him right where he was, letting his hand slip immediately though.

“No, I’m going to a friend’s house… thank you though.” It was impossible that they always had off at the same time, right? 

“Okay. I can come pick you up if you want.” Was he being serious right now? “Just let me know, yeah? I’m just gonna stay home today anyways. Actually, were you gonna buy something? I’m coming with you.”

Niall didn’t really know what to say, so he just stood there watching while Liam said goodbye to his friends, his hand very lightly touching the small of Niall’s back for a moment while they were walking back to the food queue. At least Niall didn’t have to be worried anymore about Liam being annoyed or thinking he was clingy, right?

Harry and Louis were probably able to see them from where they were sitting, but did it really matter? Probably not, they lived together, it wasn’t a crime to queue up to buy food together in public, right?

“Are you okay?” Liam asked as if there was a concern that Niall wasn’t okay, so the younger boy made sure to nod immediately. He was okay, or something similar at least. 

“I’m good. You?” He looked rather cheerful, but Niall still thought he’d ask, just because. 

“Me too. Where did you go so early in the morning today? I heard you dropping something in the bathroom twice at like 7.” Obviously Liam had been bound to find out, even if he was laughing a bit now, probably thinking it was a normal question, but it kinda made Niall blush at an instant. 

“I… “ Niall started, quickly thinking it through before deciding that there was no reason to lie, not to Liam. “I went to the doctor’s, her office is kinda far away from the house, so...”

“Oh.” Was all Liam said to that, clearly surprised. “Sorry, I didn’t wanna-“

“It’s fine, um… it was kinda… relieving?” Maybe the wrong word, but it was kinda true nevertheless because at least now Niall had confirmation and what was more important, he had the information to deal with all this stuff.

“That’s good, I’m glad you went.” Liam didn’t ask anything else, he didn’t even ask whether Niall had taken any tests to see if he really was an Omega or not, probably because he knew what was going on anyways. “Did you tell your mom?”

“No, I didn’t tell anybody.” Well, except Liam, but there was no need to point that out in front of him. “There’s no need to anyways.”

“Well, if you think so.” Clearly, Liam didn’t, but at least he didn’t say anything else about it, which Niall was really grateful for. Liam was different from Harry and Louis in that sense, he wasn’t pushy like Louis and he wasn’t completely ignoring certain problems like Harry tended to do, he was somewhere in the middle and Niall really didn’t wanna think about Liam being the perfect person to discuss problems with, but he kinda was. “Have you already eaten today?”

“No, I had to h-“

“What? It’s already afternoon, Niall.” There it was again, that concerned expression on Liam’s face that got Niall both annoyed but also kinda put at ease, if that was possible. “I swear, if you’re gonna buy a candy bar …”

“I’m not 5 years old, Liam.” Clearly Liam had been joking, but Niall still couldn’t help but roll his eyes, kinda wanting to give the money back even if he knew that Liam wouldn’t have said anything had he really bought candy with it. “I wasn’t going to buy one, but now that you mentioned it… “

“Forget I said anything.” Liam let out a sigh, but there was a smile tugging in the corners of his mouth and Niall had to look away or otherwise he wouldn’t have been able to keep himself from smiling as well.

Niall was next in line, he didn’t buy a candy bar after but some proper food and Liam seemed to approve of it even if he seemed slightly surprised that Niall actually waited for him to have finished buying something to drink. 

“I have a class now.” Liam told the younger boy and Niall immediately felt stupid simply handing Liam the change back that he had received. “Thanks.”

“I’ll give you the rest at home, okay? Thank you again. I should probably get back to my friends.” Who hopefully hadn’t seen Niall with Liam, because otherwise he’d never hear the end of it.

“Okay, text me if you want me to pick you up from somewhere.” He really did seem to mean that for some reason, putting his arm around Niall’s shoulder out of nowhere to pull him into another half hug. Just when Niall had thought he could get used to this though, Liam was briefly ruffling his hair as if he was a child, laughing at Niall’s face. “See you later.”

“Yeah.” Niall made sure Liam saw him rolling his eyes before they parted ways and luckily Harry and Louis had been so into their conversation that they barely even noticed how long Niall had been gone for, let alone who he had been with.

Niall wasn’t trying to make any of this a secret, but he kinda felt like it had already turned into one.

 

\-------------------------

 

“I’m getting bored.” Louis finally said after they had been playing on Harry’s Xbox for 3 hours and Niall would have let out a sigh of relief had he even taken part into the activity for the past hour. He had just gone over to watching, trying not to fall asleep at the same time. 

“Do you wanna watch a movie or so?” Harry asked while getting up, collecting some of the wrappings from the snacks they had been eating and Niall actually wanted to say no, but he also had no alternative to offer. “I’ll be right back, I’ll just throw this away.” 

“I’m okay with a movie, but it depends which one.” Niall told Louis, kinda afraid of what he was going to suggest in a second. 

“I don’t know, we can just let Harry choose.” Bad idea, but Niall simply shrugged anyways, because he himself didn’t even know what he wanted to watch.

When Harry came back, they settled on watching some comedy that Niall had already seen, but at least it wasn’t something he absolutely hated. For the first few minutes, Niall actually tried to watch, but after a while, he couldn’t help noticing that not only did Harry and Louis keep silently showing each other stuff on their phones, but they were also lying so close to one another that they could have whispered without Niall hearing them.

He wasn’t jealous, he didn’t even feel left out, maybe only very slightly, but Niall genuinely thought that the other two didn’t even notice what they were doing. Also, it got him thinking quite a bit that maybe Harry and Louis had a thing going on, like, maybe they were in love or something? At least that would have explained a whole lot and also, it would have made Niall feel a little bit better because if they were a couple, it meant that at least it had nothing at all to do with him. Then again… that would have also meant he would be a constant third wheel, even more than he already was.

Harry’s dad came home at some point, but he didn’t seem to care much about them all being here, barely even saying hello to them. It wasn’t actually too late, only about 8 in the evening or so, but somehow it was late enough for Harry and Louis to both fall asleep, which Niall only noticed possibly half an hour after it had happened.

He thought about waking them, but he quickly realized that they would have been too tired to do anything else anyways, so what would the point have been? Now Niall felt stupid for not having considered that Louis was probably going to spend the night anyways, so there was no real need to wait for him to wake up to leave.

Instead, Niall quietly collected his things, leaving the TV on before he went to briefly say goodbye to Harry’s dad, just so he knew that Niall was leaving the door unlocked. Actually, Niall planned on taking the bus, but then all of a sudden he already had his phone in his hands and he was texting Liam without thinking about it, not really expecting him to immediately come online and ask for directions to Harry’s house. As if he had been waiting or something.

It still took 15 minutes until Liam’s car pulled up, so Niall had just been sitting on the steps leading up to the house, internally praying that Harry and Louis wouldn’t wake up and question where he had gone. Or maybe they wouldn’t have even cared, that sounded a lot more likely actually. 

“Hi, everything okay?” Liam immediately checked once Niall had gotten into the passenger seat, waiting until the younger boy had put on his seatbelt before driving off. 

“I’m good, thanks for picking me up.” Taking the bus would have only taken about 30 to 40 minutes, but Liam had offered twice and he didn’t even seem a tiny bit annoyed. 

“No problem. Louis is getting home by himself?” Liam had probably already guessed that Niall only really had those two friends, but whatever.

“I don’t think Louis is going home at all.” Would they have tried to hide it from Niall otherwise? Or would Harry have offered to drive them both home and simply dropped Niall off first?

“And you didn’t wanna have a sleepover on a Monday night?” The older boy was clearly joking, but he must have noticed that Niall wasn’t really in the mood because he immediately stopped laughing when there was no answer. “Are you sure that everything is okay?”

“Yeah, I’m just tired.” Not really, but kinda, so Niall figured it wasn’t a complete lie. He wasn’t even upset with Harry and Louis, he couldn’t have even been mad if they had kept a relationship from him, because Niall was keeping plenty of things from them as well. Also, he wasn’t 15 years old or anything, he shouldn’t have even cared about any of this. 

Liam let him be then, leaving the radio on though maybe so that the silence wouldn’t get uncomfortable or something. It didn’t, mostly because Niall wasn’t even really considering that it could have been, right now he didn’t even feel weird for having asked Liam to come and get him. 

The way home wasn’t very long, but when Liam’s phone was suddenly going off and Niall offered that he could pick it up for him, the older boy almost instantly pulled the car onto the side of the street just so he could do it himself. Maybe it was really important?

“I can’t talk right now.” The radio was still on and Liam was talking quietly, but Niall could tell that his voice had changed completely compared to how he normally talked to Niall. He sounded kinda pissed off at the other person, having turned the volume so low though that Niall didn’t hear a single word. “I’m in the car…. No… no, I’m with my brother.”

That word made Niall flinch but he was pretty sure Liam didn’t notice, he had closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose as if there was a huge problem he had no idea how to solve. Niall tried not to watch him, tried to pretend like he wasn’t curious and didn’t even care. 

“I already told them I have no interest, I-… no, definitely not. I’m not coming, okay?... yeah, whatever, bye.” Though the phone call had been short, Niall had gathered enough to know that Liam was straight up lying to his face once he had put his phone away. “Sorry, my friends really wanted me to go out with them tonight.”

“Oh, I didn’t wanna keep you from-“

“You didn’t, I wouldn’t have gone anyways.” Maybe he wasn’t lying, it did come out pretty smooth and he simply smiled at Niall, which was enough to shut the younger boy up. He wouldn’t have doubted Liam’s words at all had there not been the thing at the hospital and a few other strange occasions, but then again, he was probably reading way too much into it.

They were home pretty much 6 minutes later and Niall made sure to thank Liam again once they had gotten out of the car. He kinda didn’t wanna go to his room now but he definitely also didn’t wanna join Liam’s dad and his mom in watching a movie, so Niall didn’t have that much of a choice really. Also, Liam probably had another phone call to get, so…

Niall did text Harry to let him know why he had left before getting into the shower and brushing his teeth, but he kinda doubted that he would even receive an answer. Maybe they’d just sleep on the couch or something, or they’d be too busy with each other to even notice Niall had left. Although… that was probably a bit of an overdramatic thought. 

When Niall came out of the bathroom, hair still damp but otherwise fully clothed because he didn’t really wanna run into Liam or his dad with only a towel on, it seemed as if that had been a very good decision.

Niall almost bumped into Liam in the hallway, not having paid any attention at all because he genuinely hadn’t expected him to have come out of his room. “Sorry, I-“

“It’s okay. Are you done in the bathroom?” Liam waited for Niall to nod, but instead of going into the bathroom himself, he actually just kept on standing there while the younger boy thought about how stupid he must have looked right now with his hair still half dripping wet. “I just wanted to check, because I downloaded this movie, and I thought maybe you wanted to see it too.”

“I… “ Wait, what?

“You don’t have to, just thought I’d ask, I don’t really like watching movies on my own.” Was he telling the truth or did he simply feel sorry for Niall? There was no chance Niall would ever find out because Liam was just so damn nice that both could have been the truth.

“Um, okay.” Niall forced himself to agree before he could overthink. 

“You don’t even care what kinda movie it is?” Liam let out a laugh before going back to his room and Niall followed slowly, wanting to smack himself in the face for being so damn stupid. 

“I, uh, I like most movies.” The younger boy lied, his heart already speeding up as soon as he entered Liam’s room and closed the door behind himself. Right, Niall hadn’t really considered that they would have to lie or sit on Liam’s bed to watch it and even just barely being inside the room, Niall was having flashbacks from Saturday morning. The fact that Liam was still talking to him after that was truly a miracle. 

Liam just flashed him a grin before telling Niall to get comfortable while he sorted everything out. Everything in here smelled like Liam, but the bed almost made Niall feel dizzy when he sat down on it, hesitantly trying to get into a more comfortable position. He knew there was no reason to be nervous or anything, it was a good thing that they got along so well and surely their parents were relieved as well, but Niall still couldn’t stop thinking about what his mother would have thought if she had burst in here. 

“Is it okay if I turn the lights off?” The older boy checked once the movie was starting and Niall quickly agreed, relieved that at least this way, they wouldn’t really be able to look at one another. 

“Sure.” And then, just because he couldn’t bite his tongue for the life of him, Niall just HAD to ask. “Did you just ask me to watch it with you because you felt bad for me?”

“What? No, why would I do that? I didn’t wanna watch it by myself.” Liam explained, and before Niall could have doubted his words or could have answered, they both had to shut up so they wouldn’t miss the beginning. 

It was a bit hard for Niall to concentrate on the movie, with Liam lying in the same bed as him and everything, but it got a lot better after a few minutes and Niall actually quite enjoyed himself. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t notice Liam not answering two more calls before turning his phone off altogether, and he’d also be lying if he said he didn’t notice himself drifting to sleep without trying to fight it because he really didn’t wanna have to go back to his room by himself and it was nice to know Liam was right there next to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys!!!
> 
> im so happy so many of you seem to be enjoying the fic so far, thank you so much for all the love & support, it makes me even more excited about the fic! :D i really hope everyone enjoyed this chapter as well <33
> 
> have a great week!


	4. Chapter 4

Niall didn’t have the most relaxing sleep ever in Liam’s bed, but it also wasn’t a bad night at all. He did wake up twice, once just randomly, needing a few minutes to go back to sleep because he first had to quickly come to terms with the fact that Liam was breathing evenly somewhere next to him and that he had put a blanket over the younger boy. The second time, Niall woke up because he really had to pee and he honestly wasn’t really sure how he would have argued going back straight to Liam’s bed when his own room was way closer to the bathroom. Then again, he had still been half asleep, so it didn’t mean anything at all and no one would ever know anyways.

In the morning, Niall only woke up because he heard noises and he was blinded by light when he slowly blinked his eyes open, really disoriented for a second, completely having forgotten where he was. It quickly came back to him though when he looked straight at Liam wearing nothing but his jeans while obviously trying to quietly pack his backpack.

Had Liam not noticed Niall being awake, Niall might have just kept staring at him like a creep even though he should have probably gotten up as well. “Morning. Sorry if I was being too loud.”

“You weren’t… “ Niall had to suppress a yawn, rubbing his eyes but it only made him more tired if that was somehow possible. “How late is it?”

“8 in the morning, I would have woken you but I know you only start later today.” How had he even remembered that after such a short time? “I can still take you with me though if you want to.”

“No, thank you, I’m gonna take the bus later. After another nap… uh, in my bed.” Niall quickly added the last part with heated cheeks because he should have really at least sat up, he was just so bloody tired and the only thing keeping him from falling back asleep was watching Liam literally putting on deodorant and cologne in front of him.

“Why? You can just sleep in here.” Liam was clearly in a hurry when he sadly put on a shirt and grabbed his bag and Niall already thought he’d just leave with a simple goodbye or something, but of course the younger boy should have expected more. 

Instead of going out the door, Liam simply walked around his bed, to the side where Niall was still lying, blushing even worse with every second passing as he realized what the older boy was about to do when he didn’t sit down on the mattress but instead simply leaned down over Niall.

“Sleep some more, you look really exhausted.” And then, as if it was literally the most normal thing in the world, Liam pulled his own blanket up a bit higher to cover Niall properly and if that hadn’t made the younger boy speechless, the very brief kiss on his forehead surely had. What the fuck? “See you later.”

“Um… okay.” Was all Niall choked out, probably too late for Liam to have heard him, the older boy simply threw him a smile before walking out of his room, turning off the lights and plunging Niall into complete darkness. Did he really think Niall would be able to sleep now after what had just happened?!

Honestly, it was way too early in the morning for all this and so Niall was just lying in Liam’s bed for what felt like ages, breathing in his scent that was literally everywhere in this room and recalling that stupid kiss. It was so damn obvious that Liam really did see Niall as something like a younger brother, he picked him up from places, he let him sleep in his bed and watched movies with him to cheer him up, hell, he even tucked him in, kissed his forehead and gave him lectures about a healthy lifestyle.

How much worse could this have gotten? 

A part of Niall kinda thought that maybe Liam’s seemingly caring feelings for him were enhanced due to the fact that Liam was an Alpha and that Niall was an Omega, even if he still had troubles coming to terms with that. Then again, if that had been the case, shouldn’t Liam have also kinda had different feelings towards Niall? At least a tiny little bit?

Or maybe all this was just bullshit, because Niall didn’t feel anymore attracted to Liam now than he had at the party where they had been snogging and if he did, it was simply because he had gotten to know him a lot better.

No matter how Niall twisted and turned it though, he always came to the same answer. Liam wanted them to have a brotherly relationship because he was just the kinda person to take care of others and Niall was absolutely fucked and possibly going into heat any day. Great.

It must have been an hour when Niall finally forced himself to roll out of Liam’s warm bed, making sure to pull the curtains before walking straight out of the room even though he really wanted to have a look around. But one, it would have been rude and also, it wouldn’t have really made things any better now, would it?

Niall wasn’t surprised to see only a message from Harry on his phone telling him sorry that they had fallen asleep and he didn’t bother answering because the message had literally been sent at 3 am, so chances were Harry and Louis were still asleep anyways. Probably in the very same bed, but then again, who was Niall to talk?

It was literally the worst timing ever when Niall walked out of Liam’s room, clearly in his pajamas and after having slept in there, thinking he was home alone, just for his mother to come upstairs in that very moment. Honestly… Niall was the unluckiest person in the entire world, there was no other explanation for any of this. 

“Good morning. Isn’t that Liam’s room?” Niall’s mother was already dressed and as if she was ready to go, but she still didn’t seem to be in such a hurry that she would have confused their rooms of course.

“Um. Yes.” Niall simply answered, trying to act normal, but also, he couldn’t just not add anything else or his mother might have come to her own conclusions. “We just… watched a movie last night and I fell asleep and… yeah.”

“Oh, that’s nice. You get along well, do you?” Was there some sort of undertone or was Niall going crazy?

“I mean, yeah, we do.” Kinda. Or maybe a bit more than kinda considering Liam had just kissed Niall’s forehead but no one had to know that. “Do you not have work today?”

“I do, I just start a bit later than normally. I can drop you off at uni if you want.” She said it in a way that kinda made it impossible for Niall to say no and also, he really didn’t wanna take the bus anyways, it had already gotten tiring after such a short amount of time. 

Of course Niall was a bit afraid his mother would keep on asking about him and Liam, but like, there was nothing to hide, was there? The much bigger secret was something else and Niall was aware that he would have to tell his mother fairly soon. He had started to take those pills right after buying them because obviously he couldn’t keep on running around not exactly knowing when he’d go into heat. But like… Niall didn’t know what to expect, however, he was pretty sure he wouldn’t wanna go into public during those few days, so he would kinda be forced to tell his mother. 

Fifteen minutes later, after Niall had gotten ready and given up on trying to find all his stuff, he got into his mother’s car for the first time ever since they had moved here. Actually, they had barely talked for longer than a few minutes for a while now, but they were busy and everything and it was all good, it only really came to Niall as he put his seatbelt on.

“Here, you forgot this.” His mother unexpectedly placed a box into his lap, much to Niall’s confusion. “I didn’t know you were starting to make your own lunches.”

“I, uh… I didn’t.“ Why would he? And whose lunch was this anyways?

“Oh, but it had a post it with your name on.” One second… “Maybe Liam made it for you, I noticed he’s been trying to change your eating habits.” 

“I don’t know, I… “ Was Liam crazy? Making LUNCH BOXES for Niall?! “He’s just, like, a real health freak.”

“But it seems he really cares about you despite your worries before you met him.” Niall’s mother had now started the car, which was good because that meant she wasn’t looking when Niall barely peeled open the lid of the box, finding another note inside next to the food that was clearly signed with Liam’s name. Even though he hadn’t read it and made sure to close the box as quickly as possible, it still caused Niall’s cheeks to grow even hotter. “And you like him too, right? And Geoff? You’re not still upset that we moved? We haven’t really had time to talk about this.”

“No, it’s all good, they’re both nice and the house is… it’s amazing.” What else was there to say, really? It was all good except those few things that were making Niall’s life a little hard. “How is your new job and everything?”

“I’m really enjoying it actually and since we moved I feel a lot calmer in general. So I’m glad if you’re happy as well because I think it might have been one of the best decisions we’ve ever made.” Debatable. “You know you can invite your friends over, right? Louis and… what was his name? Harrison? I haven’t seen them in a while.”

“Harry.” Niall automatically corrected her even though the mentioning of his friends caused his stomach to drop a little. Especially because of last night and everything. “Yeah, we just have a lot going on at uni, so… I saw them last night though, I was at Harry’s house.”

“How was it?” Okay, maybe Niall shouldn’t have said that.

“Good, yeah, it was fun.” It had been, in the beginning and then it had just been neutral and also, Niall was apparently a baby and couldn’t even take his friends possibly dating. 

His mother nodded approvingly and then they fell into a little bit of silence, which Niall used to check his phone, not surprised though when neither Louis nor Harry had texted him. Usually Niall wasn’t like this, but now that he had his theories about them and the fact that, well, that all these other things were going on, he was just getting stressed out over every tiny little thing. Of course Niall knew why, but even after seeing a doctor and getting those pills, it still felt surreal to him, as if it would all just turn out to be a big misunderstanding.

So maybe that was why Niall managed to be somewhat calm about it, because it still hadn’t fully sunken in. 

“So, what was that on Saturday? I’ve been meaning to ask you.” Shit.

“Ummm…. Nothing, really, I was out with Liam, like, we went to a party and we came home quite late.” Obviously Niall’s mother knew that Niall was going out and drinking alcohol, so that probably hadn’t been what she had been referring to, but it had been worth a try. 

“Actually I meant you not coming out of your room and looking like you might cry any second.” Literally how had she even taken notice of that during the short time she had been in Niall’s room that day?

“I was just really tired and I had to study, that’s always making me wanna cried.” Niall tried to play it off as a joke, laughing a bit but his mother didn’t really join. “And I did come out of my room.”

“After Liam dragged you out.” Right.

“He didn’t really, he just wanted to go on a walk, up that hill behind the house.” Which, thinking about it now, was still weird as hell, like, why would Liam randomly wanna offer up his time just to walk up a hill with Niall and then lie around for an hour without really talking?

“Well, I’m glad he made you come out of your room, I was just wondering if anything has happened besides you getting drunk.” See, she KNEW.

“Um, not really.” Niall lied, because he couldn’t have told his mother about the puking and wanting to kiss Liam and telling him how hot he was and sleeping in his bed, twice now, and… fuck, Niall really was a mess, wasn’t he? Maybe he should have just told her, just get it over with, do it in the car where she couldn’t freak out all too much because they were almost at uni. 

“Okay, but you know you can talk to me, right? If you want to, I mean, I know you’re an adult and I know you were quite upset that we were moving, but I think it’s been a good thing. I feel like Liam really cares about you and I think over time you could have a really nice, maybe kind of brotherly relationship, I think that’d be good for you. I was kinda worried how it would go, if I’m being quite honest, and so was Geoff, but I’m glad both of you have gotten used to the new situation so quickly. And all this despite you thinking you wouldn’t get along with Liam because he’s an Alpha.” She probably added the last part trying to lighten the mood, trying to make Niall laugh as she pulled into the uni parking lot, but honestly, it kinda felt like a sign to Niall.

“Um… mom?” Niall started, gulping quite hard when he thought of the best way to say this because there wasn’t a good way to say this, really.

“Yes?” She immediately sounded worried again, which was understandable considering Niall had almost choked on just one word a second ago. 

“I’m, uh, I think that… I mean, I know that… since a few days and like… Liam kinda, uh, kinda said it first, but um… I’m an Omega.” There it was and also, Niall was glad he had put his seatbelt on because his mother promptly stopped the car in the middle of the parking lot.

“What? What do you mean? You’re 20 years old, you- oh my god, I knew it, I knew it all along, something was always off. Did you get it confirmed? Did you go to a doctor? Oh my god, you probably shouldn’t even go to uni, are you going into heat? I can call into work and-“

“Mom, it’s fine, I was already at the doctor’s, um, she kinda, like, confirmed it and she gave me some pills and I’m prepared. It’s all good.” Not really, but as good as it would get. “She said that… I’m probably just a bit behind and that living with an Alpha probably triggered it.”

“I knew it.” Was all Niall’s mother said before finally pulling into an empty parking space and turning off the engine while Niall felt relieve spreading in his body from having said it out loud. “In this case, since Liam-“

“Mom, it’s fine, okay? I know what you’re gonna say and you really don’t need to say it. I’ve already taken two pills.” Niall didn’t know when he’d go into heat, he couldn’t really feel it, but also, he had never gone through it so how would he have known? 

“Still, Liam’s an Alpha and it’s natural that-“

“Mom, _please_. I’m 20 years old, okay? And even if nature wants me to have sex with every Alpha I see once a while, I’m not going to. It’s not like I’m becoming a brainless idiot.” At least not because of him being an Omega. 

“That’s not what I was going to say. I know you’re responsible and I believe so is Liam, I just mean that it would probably be a good idea if the two of you maybe… talk about it.” Right, about that…

“We already did, it was Liam who told me that, uh, that he can like… smell me, so… it’ll all be fine.” Niall tried to calm his mother, but actually, he was also kinda trying to calm himself. “I might skip a day or two at uni though, when it happens.”

“Or even more if you need to, I don’t have any experience with this, but at least now I know what I’ll be doing in my lunch break.” The sad thing was, she actually sounded serious. 

“Don’t forget to clear the browser history.” Niall rolled his eyes, but he still leaned over to hug his mother back when she reached for him, suddenly feeling a whole lot better. “I’m already late.”

“A bit of running probably wouldn’t hurt you.” Okay, that was it. “Don’t be angry now, I’m just joking. But maybe Liam could take you to work out with him once a while, you don’t do any kind of exercise and once you get to my age-“

“I really need to go.” Niall interrupted his mother, allowing her to kiss his cheek though because he kinda knew she had been joking, but not really. He was honestly just glad that they had already moved on from the Omega topic. “Thanks for driving me.”

“Have a good day, love, and be careful.” She was just worried, Niall knew that, but he still tried to get out of the car as quickly as possible, still relieved at how easy this conversation had gone. He should have definitely talked to his mother sooner, but things had just gotten complicated since that move had happened and also… since Liam had happened.

 

\--------------

 

_in case you now decide you do like healthy snacks, we could try them during our next movie night :) – Liam_

 

Niall had read the piece of paper Liam had put into the lunch box probably 15 to 20 times now, but he still couldn’t believe it, couldn’t figure out what had been going through Liam’s head this morning. He so clearly felt bad for Niall, didn’t he? Because of last night and everything? There just was no other explanation for any of this and as much as it made Niall’s heart beat faster and made him fantasize about sleeping in Liam’s bed more often, he also knew it didn’t mean anything other than the fact that Liam was the kindest person he had ever met. 

Niall did have to admit that the lunch Liam had made for him really did taste good, but was it a surprise? Not really. Everything he made tasted great, Liam just really seemed to have his life together and as if he had figured it all out and it both kinda got Niall slightly depressed looking at his own life but it also kinda made him admire Liam. Even more than he already had before and even if he didn’t quite wanna admit it to himself. 

By the time Harry arrived to sit next to him, Niall had already packed the lunch box away and finished eating and, after some hesitation, had taken the note and put it into his wallet instead, for no particular reason. 

“Hi, are you already done eating?” Harry was holding a banana when he sat down opposite of Niall and the other boy simply nodded, knowing what was about to come and he surely didn’t get disappointed. “Sorry about last night, we slept in and when I woke up it was already super late. You could have just woken us.”

“It’s fine, I actually wanted to get home and get some homework done, so… “ Niall shrugged, suddenly kinda concerned over the fact that he lied so damn easily nowadays, almost without hesitation. 

“Did you get home alright?” Harry actually sounded concerned for some reason, as if he didn’t know that Niall usually rode the bus much later at night whenever he had to work at the movie theater. 

“Yeah, it wasn’t that late anyways.” No need to mention that Liam had picked him up, right? It would have only sparked more interest. Instead, Niall decided that it shouldn’t always be him who had to talk himself out of stuff, who was being questioned and interrogated. “So Louis probably stayed over then, huh?”

“It was really late and we were both tired, so yeah. I would have driven you both home otherwise, I’m sorry you had to take the bus.” He was almost being subtle about switching back to talking about Niall. Almost.

“I don’t mind taking the bus though, I’ve got that bus card anyways and I paid like a fortune for it, so… “ Niall shrugged, thinking about what else he could ask to maybe confirm his suspicions about Harry and Louis without giving himself away. “What are we doing on your birthday? I’ve been meaning to ask you for a while now.”

“Hmm, I think my parents want me to come with them and visit my grandparents over the weekend because I haven’t seen them in a while, but we could do something on Monday or Tuesday, maybe? But we really don’t have to, you know I’m not big on birthdays.” That wasn’t a lie though Niall hadn’t known Harry for THAT long, he still knew him well enough. “And please don’t get me anything.”

“Who said I was going to get you anything?” Niall joked, even though they both knew exactly that he would get Harry a present, no matter what either of them said. “Louis is probably going to go all out, he always does this.”

“I was afraid so. He keeps talking about something he got me, but I’ve got no idea what it is.” Probably an engagement ring, but Niall was trying hard to not make that joke. 

“Maybe he’s just bluffing, he kept talking about something he got me a few years ago and turned out he hadn’t actually bought anything until the day before.” And that present had actually turned out shit as well, but Niall really wasn’t someone to talk, he wasn’t exactly that great with presents either. 

“Could be, that actually really sounds like him.” Harry let out a laugh that sounded a little too fond for Niall, but he was probably just going crazy at this point honestly. They probably didn’t even like each other like that, because why wouldn’t they have told Niall? They probably just got along really well and weren’t trying to exclude Niall, it just sometimes happened along the way. 

“I can drop a hint if you want anything in particular, you just gotta tell me.” Niall joked, even though he could have needed a hint as well, but honestly, he was pretty sure Harry would have been happy about anything really and also, Niall still had a few days left.

“I really don’t want anything, I know you’re both kinda broke, it’s alright.” He seemed to really mean it and mentioning Niall being broke actually reminded the other boy that he had never given Liam those two pounds he had borrowed yesterday so he made a mental note of doing that. Was it stupid as hell that Niall was now hoping he’d see Liam around uni because he now actually had something to say? Probably. Also, thinking about him… “Oh, there’s Liam over there, should I-“

“No, it’s fine.” Literally from one second to the other, Niall had started to panic, for no real reason because he had actually just thought about him anyways. Even if in his fantasy they had kinda been alone. “Don’t look at him.”

“I’m not looking at him?” Harry sounded confused, maybe thinking Niall had completely lost his mind now and the truth was… he kinda had. “Did you have a fight with him or something?”

“No, but there’s no need for you to call him over or anything.” It would have just gotten awkward and yeah, Niall had to give Liam those 2 pounds back, but like, he could also do that at home, right? 

“I thought you liked him.” The other boy seemed unsure now and in all honesty, Niall would have been unsure in his situation as well, but things had just gotten so complicated so damn quickly, he didn’t know anymore how to talk himself out of it. 

“I do. As a… roommate, kinda.” Kinda also in other ways, but there was absolutely no need to even try to pursue that. “Can we not talk about him? I wanted to ask you something about our exam, actually.”

“The one in three months?” Right, that one.

“Yeah, I, um, I just wanted to make sure I don’t get lost during the semester so I won’t get stressed before the exam.” As if to prove his point, Niall quickly opened his backpack, pulling out his notes that were already missing pages and were half unfinished, but at least that kinda made it more realistic that he needed to ask Harry something, right?

Luckily for Niall, he did find something to ask Harry and they spent the rest of their break discussing it and by the time they left the cafeteria, Liam was nowhere to be seen anymore. Niall wasn’t sure if he was happy about it or not, but he wasn’t sure about a lot of things anymore lately. It seemed that he felt most comfortable when he was alone with either Liam, Harry or Louis, but together it just stressed him out. And honestly, Niall was a bit concerned about what that said about him, was he being jealous? Greedy? Or was he simply going through some hormonal stuff? 

 

\--------------------

 

Nothing exciting happened the rest of the day, Niall got home at some point exhausted from his day, so he wasn’t too sad about nobody else being there. He made sure to write a note for Liam, thanking him for the lunch box and for lending him money before slipping the paper through underneath his door, along with two pounds. Obviously he could have waited until Liam got home, but who knew if he ever would?

For once, Niall actually did some uni work, finishing off a project much to the relief of his uni working group, who all already thought Niall was a complete idiot. When it got later, Niall was still home alone and he didn’t really know why but he decided to take a quick walk outside that only accidentally lead him up the hill behind the house. 

It’s not like Niall was missing Liam or anything, or that he was wondering where he was, but he had nowhere else to go really and maybe the older boy had been right, the view was kinda nice once Niall really appreciated it, sitting on the stone wall this time instead of lying down. There were a lot of things that Niall could have done during the time he just sat there, even if it would have simply been thinking some stuff through, but he wasn’t really in the mood. Just for once, he wanted to not think about anything at all. 

When Niall came back home, he honestly expected somebody else to be there other than Liam’s dad, but as faith wanted it, they almost ran into each other when Niall unlocked the front door and almost hit the man with it. Great.

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t think anybody was home.” Niall hadn’t really talked to Geoff a lot, only occasionally, and they had never been alone for longer than a few minutes, so he was slightly nervous.

“No worries, you didn’t get me.” He laughed, as if it was actually funny and Niall forced himself to smile as he slipped off his shoes, not wanting to be rude or anything, but he also kinda wasn’t sure what to do now. “Is Liam not home?”

“Uh, he wasn’t before.” Also, his shoes were gone, but Niall didn’t really need to brag about his knowledge of Liam’s shoes.

“Well, in this case I suppose it’s just us. Your mother has taken the night shift, so she won’t be back until early in the morning.” Oh. “I was gonna ask Liam to watch the game with me, but I suppose he won’t be back until it’s too late. But you’re welcome to join.”

For a moment, Niall really wanted to say no and just go to his room and maybe get an early night, but on the other hand, he lived in this house and he barely even knew the person who it belonged to and also… if he spent some time chatting with Liam’s dad, things would surely be less awkward. So Niall agreed quickly before he could have changed his mind again and Geoff actually seemed kinda happy about it.

It wasn’t actually as weird as Niall had feared, only at first, but they small talked a bit and Liam’s dad ordered pizza so that was kinda cool. Also, Niall luckily knew a lot about soccer, so he didn’t look like an idiot while they were watching, which was a relief. Still, whenever they weren’t talking and Niall didn’t pay too much attention, he couldn’t help wondering where Liam was even if he knew he was probably hanging out with his friends, and so were Harry and Louis and meanwhile Niall was watching TV with his mom’s boyfriend. Then again, what did it even matter?

At some point, Niall felt himself getting tired and he had the whole couch to himself anyways because the living room was the biggest room in the house. Plus, the game was almost over, so he didn’t feel all too bad for nodding off every few seconds, not caring all too much about who won anyways. 

Niall had no idea how long he had been asleep for, but he jerked into a sitting position when he heard something break or like, shatter into pieces. It was pitch black now, the TV was turned off and Niall was alone, all the curtains having been pulled in front of the windows and the only light source coming from the kitchen. 

For a moment, Niall considered going back to sleep, just staying down here, but he was kinda cold and uncomfortable and someone was moving around in the kitchen, so he decided to drag himself up to his room. Honestly, Niall had been pretty sure that it was Liam’s dad in the kitchen, that maybe it wasn’t actually that late, but he got surprised. 

“Oh Jesus, you scared the crap out of me. Where did you come from? Watch out, there’s glass everywhere.” It was Liam, picking up glass pieces from the floor and at first Niall was so confused and perplex that he couldn’t even react properly, so he simply stood there in the doorway, staring at Liam before finally figuring out why this whole situation was so confusing. 

One, the clock behind Liam read 2.30 am and two, Liam looked like he had just come home from a bar fight or something.

“What happened to your hand? And your shirt? There’s bl-“

“Nothing, I just fell. What are you doing down here? It’s in the middle of the night.” Liam almost sounded upset, as if Niall wasn’t allowed to be down here or something, but it was obvious that the older boy was hiding something and that he was trying to pick up the glass pieces as quickly as possible.

“I watched TV with your dad and I fell asleep, I just woke up because you dropped that bowl… were you about to eat my cereal? I thought you said it was unhealthy.” A poor attempt at a joke, but Niall had kinda expected Liam to laugh anyways, or smile at least, but he didn’t do either of those things. In fact, he did something he had never done before, at least not to Niall.

“Niall, can you just… go upstairs?” When he asked, he sounded pretty annoyed and it kinda took Niall by surprise. 

“Why? I can help you clean this up and maybe you should-“

“No, please, just go. Okay? I’m really not in the mood.” Liam finally stood up straight, fully looking at the younger boy now and the softness in his eyes was completely gone, which could have also been influenced by the fact that there was clearly a bruise forming on his cheekbone. 

“But-“

“Please, I really can’t deal with this right now.” The older boy interrupted Niall a second time, or a third, this time though, he sounded _really_ annoyed and it kinda got to Niall more than it should have.

He turned on his heels without another word, trying not to cry as he walked through the dark house, almost falling over the first step because he didn’t wanna turn on the lights. It was stupid to be this upset over Liam being in a bad mood after clearly having gotten into some kinda fight, but Niall had literally just woken up, so naturally, he felt a little emotional and stuff. Also, he was worried about Liam, but he also knew the older boy wouldn’t have told him what was up even if he had asked again. 

When he finally made it to his room, Niall simply took off all his clothes before going to lie underneath his blanket, unable to fall back asleep. Instead, he kept listening until he heard Liam coming upstairs, not being able to stop himself from hoping that he would come to Niall’s room and apologize or something, but he never did. 

And this was exactly why Niall shouldn’t have gotten so used to Liam being this nice and caring.

 

\------------------

 

The next day was weird, Niall woke up way too soon, only having had a few hours of sleep, but once he remembered last night, he decided that there was no point in waiting until everyone else woke up and he’d risk running into Liam, so instead he simply got up and dressed, leaving for uni at least 2 hours too early. 

It was strange, yesterday morning, Niall had awoken in Liam’s bed and Liam had kissed his fucking forehead to say goodbye, and now Niall was afraid to see him because he had no idea what to expect. Who exactly had Liam pissed off to get regularly punched by this person? Or was he the one punching people? And why was he doing it in the middle of the night during a weekday? Did Liam’s dad know about this? Did anyone?

It were questions Niall was pretty sure he wouldn’t get an answer to anytime soon and yet his biggest concern was still the fact that Liam seemed to be annoyed by him. Niall had just been trying to help and it hadn’t been his fault that he had been downstairs, he wouldn’t have even asked Liam again about what had happened, he had simply been trying to be nice. And this was what he had gotten for it, a shitty night and a really sick feeling to his stomach.

Niall barely saw Harry and Louis at uni that day and he had NEVER been happier about having to work during the week because he had only worked one day last weekend. It didn’t really take his mind off of things because there were like 3 customers, but at least it meant Niall couldn’t check his phone for a few hours and he also didn’t have to go home and be confronted with his problems. Then again, were they even his problems?

By the time Niall got off of work, he had a few messages on his phone, only one of them from Liam simply telling Niall that he was sorry for snapping at him last night. That was it, nothing else, which was disappointing but at the same time, Niall shouldn’t have expected anything else, just because Liam had been so nice to him didn’t mean he’d always be like that. Maybe it had just been an act all along anyways. 

When Niall got home, everyone was there, but luckily Liam was in his room and even though Niall was pretty sure he heard somebody knocking on his door through his headphones a few hours later, he completely ignored it, much like the text message. Honestly, Liam couldn’t expect him to jump whenever he wanted to talk or wanted something else, he had been rude for no reason on full purpose. Plus, Niall was pretty sure he was constantly lying to him. 

Also, Niall felt kinda sick when he went to bed at 1 in the morning, thinking that maybe it was because he hadn’t really eaten all day or simply because everything was kinda shit right now. 

When he woke up in the morning though without an alarm at 6 am, he suddenly knew what was up and he wanted to literally punch himself in the face. He had gone into heat and even though Niall had never experienced it, he knew exactly that it was that. Fuck. 

It was a lot more intense than Niall would have expected, he felt so hot that he literally had to rip open the curtains and the window just to let some air in because he felt like the warmth of the blanket had literally been suffocating him. Niall couldn’t have put his finger on what exactly it was, but he felt like he would have had to rip his skin off just to cool down a bit, or as if he should have just jerked off 50 times in a row.

Even if he knew it wouldn’t have really helped, because what his body wanted was lying behind the wall of his room and even without smelling Liam, he was everything Niall could think of, so intensely that he forgot to take a step when walking over to his desk and promptly landed on his face when his foot got caught under the carpet. He truly was the unluckiest person on this planet, and even more so about 10 seconds later. 

“Niall?” Liam was knocking on his door, quietly, his voice barely a whisper and though Niall had already gotten back to his feet and wasn’t hurt at all, he suddenly wanted to cry. “Everything okay? I heard some noise and-“

“I’m fine, I’m sleeping.” Niall surely didn’t sound as if he was sleeping, but whatever, he made sure to quickly get back into bed and underneath his blanket, even if it was hot as hell and even if it wouldn’t have helped to suppress the smell he was giving off anyways. 

“Okay… Look, I really am sorry about what happened two nights ago, did you see my text? I thought maybe we could talk last night but you were already asleep.” Oh god, could he just leave?!

“You don’t need to keep on pretending that you’re all nice and that you care about me, I can take care of myself and just because you were being rude doesn’t mean I’m super upset now or anything. I don’t even care.” Lies over lies. 

“What? I’m not just pretending, I- can I just come in? I don’t wanna wake everyone else up.” Wait, no-

Before Niall could have come down from his shock and told Liam to stay the fuck out, he had already come inside and the younger boy just sat on his bed, terrified, not knowing what to do or say. Plus, Liam didn’t even seem to notice right away.

“Wow, it’s cold in here.” So at least the window was helping a bit, even if it barely took a few seconds for Liam to notice but by then he had already closed the door and come closer to the bed. “I promise, I’m not pretending or whatever, I just had an argument with a friend and I was in a really bad mood, it was unfair to take it out on you and I- wait, you…. _oh_.”

“Please just go.” Niall could smell Liam from where he was sitting and it only made him want him even more than he already had before. It’s not like he couldn’t have controlled himself or as if he was a sex robot or something, but if Liam had offered right now, Niall surely wouldn’t have declined. Then again, he also wouldn’t have before, so there was that. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to… just come in here, you didn’t say anything and- I shouldn’t have assumed you were okay with me coming into your room, I just-“

“Liam, just shut up. Please.” God, could he stop trying to be politically correct right now and just GO before Niall got even harder underneath his blanket. Fuck, this was so much worse than he had expected. 

“I genuinely am sorry, if there’s anything I can do… I can make an excuse for your mom if she asks or s-“

“I already told her that I’m an Omega, it’s fine, I’ll just stay home today and… aren’t you affected by it?” Liam was literally just standing in the middle of Niall’s room, looking normal as ever and Niall didn’t really know why, but somehow it got him upset. Especially because Liam’s scent was _really_ affecting him the other way around.

“I mean, the window is open and you’re under the blanket and on these pills, I can smell you really intensely, but you’re not the first Omega in heat I’ve been in the same room with.” So basically… he didn’t want Niall, not even when his body should have naturally made him want Niall. Amazing. “Why? What did you think I would do?”

“Nothing, I don’t know.” Not just stand there as if nothing was up?! With no shirt on?

“Did you think I would jump on you and try to have sex with you?” Well… “You know that’s not why I suggested you go to a doctor and get on pills, right? I just meant in terms of getting pregnant and so it will be easier for you to get through it. Not because of me or anyone else. I mean, it is easier for me as well to stand in here now because you’re taking the pills, but it’s not like I wouldn’t be able to control myself, even if you were on your knees begging me to-”

“Okay I got it, stop. Please. I didn’t think that you would jump- I just, I don’t know what I expected, I mean, I can smell you pretty intensely and… “ And other things. “But, um, I guess it’s… bearable. Maybe I could go to uni after all.”

“Maybe.” Somehow, Liam sounded a little unsure about it, as if he didn’t want Niall to go for some reason but didn’t wanna say it out loud. Good for him, because Niall didn’t actually care what Liam thought about his decision. “I would offer a ride if you decide to go, but… I mean, I don’t mind being in the same car, but it would probably intensify your… needs.”

“Please stop talking about it.” Seriously? “Just… I think it’d be best if I think about it by myself.”

“Right, yeah. I really am sorry, for coming in here and for snapping at you, I genuinely am. And I do care about you, just so you know, but I also don’t wanna make you feel like I’m kinda overbearing or something, so just tell me if it gets too much or… if you need anything.” Well, there surely was one thing Niall needed right now but he would only get it from his hand 0.5 seconds after Liam had left this room. “And if you decide to go to uni and you decide you wanna go home then just call me, okay? I’ll be there.”

“Okay… thank you, Liam.” How was Niall supposed to be mad at him still, like honestly? He was just too sweet and too nice and also Niall really wouldn’t have minded having Liam’s dick inside of him, but yeah. 

The older boy threw another smile at him before leaving and Niall immediately let himself fall back against his pillows with a sigh, taking a deep breath because he had been trying not to breathe too much around Liam just now. Fuck, and he was supposed to go through this once a month?! 

Needless to say, Niall ended up not going to uni, instead, he stayed in bed and tried to be calm about all this even though in the end, he did get himself off twice thinking about Liam, but it didn’t actually bring any relief whatsoever. At least he managed to have a normal conversation with his mother though before she left for work, who encouraged Niall to just take the day off so he could get used to all of it.

This, of course, brought along other problems called Harry and Louis, although they kinda believed Niall that he had a cold, even though it wasn’t cold outside so he pretended it was from the air conditioning in the house. Of course, this made Louis wanna invite himself over after uni to bring Niall non-existent homework, so there was that. Niall quickly declined though, with some sort of excuse before ending the text conversation because as bad as his heat had been in the morning, it was kinda building during the day, so it was a good thing that Niall was home alone.

There was the urge to just go into Liam room and breathe in deeply, but Niall didn’t because that would have not only been creepy and invasive, but it wouldn’t have made things any better. Also, Liam wasn’t exactly helping Niall not to think about him because he kept texting the younger boy even while Niall was pretty sure he would have had to have classes at some point. Apparently though, he didn’t care, and then, when Niall finally thought that he felt a little better, Liam was suddenly calling him. 

“Um, yes?” Niall had only picked up the phone hesitantly, afraid what Liam’s voice would do to him, even if it was really ridiculous at this point. 

“Hi, do you need something from the store?” And he couldn’t have texted that, because….? “You know like… stuff.”

“What?” Honestly, Niall had no idea what Liam was talking about and why he sounded the way he did, he was just sitting at his desk trying to get himself to stop watching ‘A day in my life while in heat’ videos on Youtube. Turned out everyone had it more figured out than Niall, especially at his age. 

“I mean, like, you know, for your heat?” Oh god, was Liam doing this on purpose?

“You mean a dildo?” Niall couldn’t help it, what had Liam been thinking by making this damn phone call? “Or maybe pads for the slick dripping out my a-“

“Okay, okay, sorry, I was just asking, my god, no need to freak out like that. Do you want anything else, then? Snacks?” Liam would never give up, would he? He’d go to the store with a broken leg and crutches if Niall had asked him to. 

“Well… if you’re already there.” Niall did kinda want snacks, but he also didn’t wanna make it sound so greedy. Then again, Liam kinda had something to make up to him anyways. 

“Okay, I’ll get you something. I can also get you normal food while I’m at it.” Liam sounded more as if he was talking to himself and Niall tried not to get too hyped about this whole situation. Truth was, he really enjoyed Liam acting like he couldn’t have gone out to buy his own food and Niall knew that maybe Liam was being slightly influenced by the fact that he was an Omega, like in the same way someone would get sort of protective feeling when seeing a small child or something, but like… he pretended it was rather because Liam actually liked him as a person. Also, the thing with the child would have meant Liam saw Niall as a child and that was just weird. 

“Do you really feel that guilty?” Well, he should have, it had cost Niall like 3 hours of sleep. 

“I feel guilty, yes, but I would have asked you either way.” Somehow, Niall really didn’t doubt that, even if he still wasn’t sure what Liam’s motivation was behind any of this. “How are you doing by the way?”

“Alright. Just like the last time you asked me an hour ago.” Also, what would he have done if Niall had told him he wasn’t doing well at all? Not that he wasn’t, he was actually doing alright although he really wished he wouldn’t have to go through this. “I expected worse.”

“It’d be a lot worse if you went outside. That’s what I heard.” Liam added the last part probably because he didn’t wanna sound like a know-it-all, but it was too late for that anyways. 

“Maybe.” Most possibly, Niall simply didn’t wanna agree with him right now. Also, he knew the only reason he was doing alright right at this second was because he was completely home alone, once Liam entered the house, who knew what would happen. God, if he came into Niall’s room again… “I, uh, I really need to finish writing something, so-“

“Right, yeah, I was just calling to ask. I’ll text you when I’m home and just leave the stuff in front of your door or something.” At least something.

Niall made sure to quickly thank Liam once more before asking him to also put the receipt with the stuff as well so he could pay him back, but as expected, the older boy told him immediately that there was no need to and that he was just happy if Niall felt better. He was SO doing this so that Niall would forgive him for what had happened, but even if he did, that didn’t mean Niall would forget about it in any way.

Something was going on with Liam in private and if Niall hadn’t been in heat right now and would have probably cum if Liam had just brushed him, he might have confronted him about it, but he had other problems to deal with besides figuring out why his step brother was getting beaten up regularly. 

Liam surely hadn’t been joking around by offering to buy Niall food, he only briefly knocked on the younger’s door a while later and Niall waited a few minutes before actually getting up to go and get it. The hallway still smelled like Liam, as did the grocery bag, but Niall made sure to bury it somewhere in the depths of his closet before he could have gotten stupid ideas. 

Literally, Liam had bought so much that Niall could have eaten from it for probably a few days and he had to admit it did make him forget about the tiny grudge he had still been holding when he texted Liam to thank him once more. No matter why he was doing any of this, he was completely going out of his way to do it. 

And even if Niall wanted to roll his eyes so hard into the back of his head as they would go when Liam replied to his text message, it still almost made him laugh.

 

_Liam 16:23  
You’re welcome :) and don’t worry, no matter what you do in your room or whatever, im keeping my headphones in anyways so I wont hear a thing_

 

\-------------------

 

Niall stayed home the next day as well, even though he felt like he was already feeling better. Or, well, in this case, less horny and less turned on by the mere thought of virtually anything related to sex or Liam. Still, Niall decided to go to work because it was a Friday and it’s not like he was sick or as if there would be many people, if any at all. Plus, he was behind the counter anyways, and he could just hold his breath in case anything happened, so that’s what he did.

By the time Niall woke up the next morning, he almost felt a little too calm and normal. It was like, as quickly as he had gone into heat over night, as quickly had it passed two days later, and hopefully with it his slight mood swings over the last couple weeks. Then again, Niall wasn’t sure if he should have really blamed all that on him presenting, he knew himself after all. 

He still kinda felt different, somehow, as if he should have known all along that he wasn’t a Beta or something, but it wasn’t like it still mattered. The only ones who he still had to tell were Harry and Louis because even though they had bought his lie about having a cold and Louis of course had thought it would be necessary to look for Liam just to give him two handouts for Niall, Niall felt a little bad for keeping it from them, they were his friends after all. Still, it could wait.

It felt really good to get out his room again, even if Niall should have probably prepared himself for the questions to come beforehand.

“Good morning, how are you doing, love?” Niall’s mother was in the kitchen when he entered, her concerned eyes following him as he went straight to the fridge.

“Morning. I’m good, everything’s fine.” She had obviously been checking in on him those last two days, having even tried to talk him out of going to work, but that had been easier to handle than her almost catching him having a wank. She hadn’t, but it had been pretty fucking close. 

“So you don’t feel like… you know?” Horny?

“No, it’s worn off and… it lasted two days anyways, I think that’s long enough.” Considering it was 2 days a month, it actually felt like a lot to Niall, also because it annoyed him thinking about how much it would restrict him in making plans and stuff like that. He hadn’t really thought about it in too much depth though, because otherwise it would have driven him insane. “It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.”

“That’s good. It’s also good that you were responsible enough to go to the doctor as quickly as possible, even if I would have preferred if you had talked to me first.” Niall’s mother shrugged when he threw a look at her after having closed the fridge again, his mouth full of grapes. Damn it, now Liam was really having an impact on his diet. “I’m just saying, because I always told you I was unsure about you being a Beta. And I know you’re old enough to make these decisions yourself, but I’m still your mother.”

“Mom, I literally told you one day later, I needed a bit to get used to the thought myself.” Great, now Niall felt guilty, but that quickly vanished when he heard someone coming into the house from the garden and he was slightly distracted as their conversation ended promptly. 

At first, Niall thought it was Liam’s dad, but that very quickly disappeared once he heard the voice and remembered that Geoff sometimes worked on the weekends as well. “Karen, did you want me to put the carrots- oh, hi.”

“Hi.” Niall half choked out when Liam came closer to where he was sitting on the bar stool, a really bright smile on his face, as if seeing Niall was the only thing he had wanted. 

“How are you?” He was dirty, and he looked really sweaty, probably from being outside and doing god knows what for Niall’s mom. Had she really talked Liam into planting vegetables for her?! And god, who looked this good after doing garden work?

“Good, yeah… you?” The younger boy asked as to not be rude, quickly forgetting about his question though when Liam was fully behind him, putting his hands on the younger’s shoulders. Fuck, Niall could still smell him, not like before, but how he had been able to smell him even days ago already. How was he gonna survive being closer to Liam than a few feet from now on?

“Me too, I was helping your mom in the garden, actually, maybe you wanna join? Also, about the carrots… “ And then Liam just went on a carrot rant, very much to the amusement of Niall’s mother and Niall just sat there, not really understanding the world anymore, all while Liam’s hands didn’t even move a single centimeter. Niall didn’t hear a single word, he kinda zoned out and only flinched when Liam suddenly petted his back before stepping away. “Are you coming?”

Honestly, Niall didn’t wanna do garden work, but he kinda wanted to watch Liam doing it, so he made sure not to look at his mother before following the older boy outside, never taking his eyes off of his back muscles that weren’t exactly being hidden by the shirt he was wearing. 

“Have you ever done this before?” Liam asked as if he wasn’t exactly sure when he handed Niall a shovel and the younger boy already regretted this.

“What? Dug a hole?” How hard could it be?

“You’re not digging a hole, you’re digging out the weed and then-“

“Okay, I got it, I can do that.” Anything really so that Liam wouldn’t think he was incapable of doing physical work, because he already seemed to think that since a while. “Why are you planting vegetables for my mom anyways?”

“Don’t know, I saw her out here this morning and I asked if she needed any help.” The older boy shrugged, though he was already leaning down again doing whatever while Niall took his first break after literally 1 second just to stare at him. “Also, the garden has been a mess for years now, it’d be cool if we could make it look nicer.”

“Do you really care about what the garden looks like?” Niall asked kinda jokingly, quickly pretending to be working when Liam looked at him.

“Yeah?” Oh. “I can imagine that you don’t.”

“I’m here helping, aren’t I?” And just for that comment and that stupid grin on Liam’s face, Niall made sure to throw the dirt a little bit closer towards him, not really having planned on it hitting him though. 

“Seriously?” Liam was standing up straight not even a second later and Niall felt his face turning hot, an apology on his lips that he never got to say out loud because he had dropped the shovel and was literally running away from the older boy a heartbeat later. 

“Liam, don’t please, I didn’t mean to!” Well, he kinda had, but he regretted it now after seeing the dirt in Liam’s hands. 

“Are you sure about that?” The older boy was just laughing, having caught up to Niall with no problem at all and before Niall knew what was happening, there was a tight arm around his waist, stopping him from running and Liam’s hand smearing mud across the side of his face before Niall had been able to turn it away. 

“Fuck, you got it in my mouth, get off of me!” Niall was spitting into the grass, pushing away from the other boy, who was just stood behind him laughing his head off. “I’m gonna get an infection, probably a poisoning as well, thanks very much. I literally only got it on your shirt and you were already dirty anyways.”

“Don’t you think that’s a bit over dramatic? It’s just mud, Niall, I didn’t even get it into your mouth.” Liam was still chuckling when Niall was wiping his face with his hands, glaring at the older boy but making sure to keep his distance. “Look, I’m s-“

“Save it. I’m gonna go wash up.” Honestly, Niall wasn’t even THAT upset, in reality he didn’t really wanna work in the garden anyways.

Liam didn’t come running after him, which was fine of course, Niall didn’t even care, he cared much more about how he could still feel Liam’s arm around him and his chest pressed up against the younger’s back, even if it had only lasted for a moment. Luckily, Niall’s mother wasn’t in the kitchen anymore, so she couldn’t have asked what had happened when Niall got some tissues to wipe his face with.

He still decided to go back outside afterwards, still rubbing at his face while checking his phone with his free hand, kinda only because he wanted to see what time it was. The moment Niall stepped out into the garden again though, not even having looked at Liam yet, he literally couldn’t believe his fucking eyes after clicking the notification he had gotten for Louis’ Instagram, staring at a picture of him and Harry god knows where, celebrating his birthday judging by the caption. Wait… were they in fucking Disneyland? What the fuck?!

“Are you just gonna stand there and watch me now?” Liam sounded amused, but Niall was almost completely blocking him out, suddenly feeling pretty damn sick to his stomach as he slowly moved to lean against the garden table. Niall had literally congratulated Harry at midnight last night and wished him a good time at his grandparents’ house and now… “C’mon, don’t be angry with me, I’m sorry I got it in your mouth.”

Niall was barely even listening to Liam, he was now busy scrolling through the few comments, checking Harry’s Instagram as well and then his text messages, but neither of them had texted him the change of plans. Or maybe it hadn’t been a change of plans, maybe this had been planned all along and they didn’t even care enough to hide their lies from Niall anymore. 

“Niall?” Liam’s voice was closer now, but Niall only noticed that he had come over when he could literally feel him leaning against the table next to him, his voice concerned. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” The younger boy lied, quickly locking his phone and putting it on the desk so that Liam wouldn’t see the picture and ask. Right now, Niall just wanted to go back into bed and sleep the rest of the day, literally just when he had thought things were looking brighter… maybe they thought he still had a cold. But they could have just asked, right?! “I’m gonna go back inside, this is boring.”

“Hey, hey, wait.” Liam almost immediately had his arm wrapped around the younger boy, keeping him from simply pushing away from the table and instead turning him around to face him even if Niall refused to look at him. “Is it because of what I did?”

“It’s not about you, I’m tired and I’m hot and I wanna go inside.” Also, Niall wanted to cry. “Can I go?”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” The older boy asked one more time, his voice having gone soft and his hands still on Niall’s arms and maybe it was the gentle brush of his thumb across Niall’s skin or maybe it was just because Niall was a baby that he simply broke out into tears. So much about not being emotionally unstable anymore. “Fuck, Niall, what happened?”

“Nothing.” Niall choked out, trying to wipe his tears with his hands still all dirty but he honestly didn’t even care anymore. If they had just told Niall they’d rather hang out alone on Harry’s birthday… why all these lies?! “I’m… fine.”

“You’re clearly not. C’mere.” It was as if Liam had been planning on doing this all along when he suddenly pulled Niall into a hug and though it took the younger boy by surprise, he didn’t reject it, needing a second though to wrap his arms around Liam in return, burying his face against his neck. Stupidly enough, his scent was somehow calming Niall down a little, but it could have also just been the hug in general. “Do you wanna talk about it?”

No, Niall didn’t wanna talk ever again, he just wanted to cling onto Liam and cry into his shoulder and have him hold him as tightly as somehow possible because actually, Niall couldn’t remember the last time he had hugged somebody this way. Well, okay, he had clung to Liam when he had been drunk, but that had been different. 

Still, Niall knew he probably owed Liam an explanation and also… maybe it would help, just saying it all out loud. “My friends…. they’re j-jerks.”

“Why? Do you want me to go and yell at them?” Yes.

“N-No… just… it’s Harry’s birthday t-today and… we w-were all… gonna hang out n-next week because… because he’s at his grandparents’ the whole weekend, that’s what he told me and… and n-now he’s like… now he’s in f-fucking Disneyland with Louis and posting a-about it.” Fuck, saying it out loud actually made it worse, who would have thought?

“Wait… seriously?!” Liam sounded quite shocked, his hand momentarily slowing to a rest on Niall’s back and it only made Niall wanna cry harder. He didn’t though, because he was trying hard to calm down. “I’m gonna kill them.”

“Liam, no, it’s… it’s whatever.” Also, Liam was being slightly dramatic, but it was also a little bit calming. Then again, not so calming if Niall thought about the fact that Liam had probably beaten up people before. “I just… I’m just… upset.”

“You should be, that’s not okay, at all. They’re supposed to be your friends.” What a way to rub salt into the wound. “You know what?”

“What?” Niall was confused, sniffing a bit and suddenly feeling bad about how wet he had already gotten Liam’s shirt. It had already been really dirty to begin with though, so it was probably fine. 

“We’re gonna throw a party tonight and then let’s see how much they’re gonna regret that they’re not invited.” Wait… what?

“A party? Where?” In this house?!

“Here of course, I bet your friends would be dying to come visit, right?” Well… “So they’re not invited, easy.”

“They wouldn’t be able to come anyways, they’re in D-“

“That’s not the point. The point is, I know a lot of people, it’ll be amazing, you can forget about all this shit and we’ll have fun.” Liam tried pulling away but Niall refused, clinging more tightly to him and the older boy just let him, moving his hand into Niall’s hair. “Okay?”

“Okay, but… what about-“

“I’ll handle it, don’t worry, it’s all gonna be fine. Trust me, it’s gonna be fun, I promise. And I can still yell at your friends afterwards if you want me to.” He sounded really serious about this and just the fact that he was still holding Niall like this, doing the absolute most to make him feel better… it really meant a lot.

Still, Niall wasn’t quite sure yet what he was actually getting himself into.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys!
> 
> i hope you all had a good week & that whoever had exams survived them and to those who still have to take theirs (like me rip), im sure you will do great!!!
> 
> i also hope you enjoyed this chapter :) and dont worry, i dont wanna make harry and louis the bad guys or whatever, they have a good explanation, i just needed some liam and niall being cute haha. 
> 
> thank you for all the support so far, i definitely dont take it for granted <3 have a great week!


	5. Chapter 5

Niall wasn’t sure how Liam had done it, but he also wasn’t sure if he even wanted to know. Somehow, he had managed to convince their parents to go out at night, to at least somewhat finish planting these vegetables for Niall’s mother, to buy stuff AND to invite his friends. Or hopefully not all of them were his friends because that would have only made Niall look even more pathetic.

Honestly, he had never really agreed to this, he had just kinda gone along with it, gone shopping with Liam while feeling poor because the older boy didn’t even bet an eye paying for everything. There were a lot of concerns on Niall’s mind that he tried to ignore, much like the text messages from Louis and Harry that he had never really bothered to open.

By the time the house and garden were pretty much full and Liam had introduced Niall to at least 25 people that he seemed to all consider close friends, Niall felt himself relax a little bit somehow. He had thought that Liam would surely leave him alone at some point, that Niall would be left on his own with a bunch of strangers with nowhere to go because he lived here, but Liam never left him, not even for a minute.

“Do you not want a drink? We gotta get rid of all this before tomorrow anyways.” Liam had to raise his voice a little bit because the music was slightly loud, but only inside which seemed strangely considerate of the neighbors. 

“Um, I’d rather not.” Niall had been thinking about just having one drink, but then he had remembered what had happened last time he had only been planning on one drink and… it couldn’t happen again, especially not now and definitely not here.

“You won’t get drunk from one glass.” Liam seemed to have been reading the younger’s mind. He himself hadn’t had a lot to drink though Niall could tell he was a little bit too smiley maybe, but it was obvious that he wasn’t really affected by it. 

“I know, but… still.” Niall just shrugged, not really knowing what to say and a little afraid Liam would keep on pushing. Which had been a stupid thought though because when had Liam ever pushed him to do something stupid?

“Okay. I gotta go to the bathroom for a minute, are you gonna be okay?” The way he asked made Niall blush, so he made sure to nod quickly even if he was slightly nervous about being left alone here with all these people. Then again, it’s not like anybody was interested in him anyways without Liam there to drag him along. “I’ll be right back.”

Liam briefly touched Niall’s shoulder, throwing a look at him before walking away and Niall tried not to stare after him in case anybody was watching. The fact that Liam seemed to know that Niall had kinda been terrified about being left alone was calming, but at the same time it made him wonder whether Liam was simply trying to keep an eye on him. Not like Niall would complain though.

Honestly, Niall didn’t remember anybody’s name and he also felt like it would have been weird to just go and talk to somebody, so instead he made sure not to stray too far from where Liam had left him, trying to busy himself with his phone and drinking a glass of water. Thing was, no one had made a mess yet, everyone was moderately well behaved for some reason and if everything stayed that way, they wouldn’t have to clean up a lot. But it was only shortly after 11, so things could still happen.

“Hey, there.” Niall flinched terribly when a voice spoke way too close to his ear and he immediately took a step away before turning around. He had probably met this guy before, maybe even minutes ago, Niall wasn’t exactly sure, but his heart was still beating faster. Liam wouldn’t have invited any creeps, right? “Niall, right?”

“Um, yeah, hi.” Would it have been rude to ask this guy’s name as well and give away that Niall had 0 idea? 

“So you are Liam’s step brother. I imagined you to look a lot different.” Wait, so they hadn’t met before? 

“Why?” Genuinely, why had he even imagined him at all?

“Don’t know, but now I can see why he’s being so protective. Must be strange to move in with some Alpha when you’re an Omega, huh?” Okay, Niall definitely did not wanna have this conversation with a stranger, also this guy’s smile was really freaking him out a little bit. “I’m surprised he’s left you alone.”

“He just went to the bathroom.” Niall half choked out, not really knowing what this guy was implying. Did he think they were together or something? “He’ll be right back.”

“Oh, I’m sure he will be, but considering the effort he’s made to make sure you don’t meet the wrong people… and now all it’d take would be for someone to get a little drunk and feel like talking to you.” What the hell?!

“What… what do you mean? What people?” What was even going on? 

“Nah, I’m not saying anything else, I think he’d beat me up if I did. And we all know he’s pretty good at that, right?” The guy winked before downing his glass and Niall felt a cold shiver going down his spine. 

“Why d-“

“Hey, what’s going on here?” Niall flinched terribly when he heard the voice, immediately recognizing that it wasn’t Liam though. Fuck, how long did he take to go to the bathroom?!

“’m just talking to Liam’s brother, nothing wrong with that, right?” The guy laughed, throwing a look at Niall that forced him to lower his eyes.

“I think you’ve chatted for long enough.” Okay, who was this other guy? Niall had most definitely met him a while ago, and he had a vague memory of seeing him with Liam the day he had asked to borrow money from him.

“Okay, okay, I was just trying to entertain him while Liam’s gone is all. Have a good night, Niall.” Before he left, he filled his glass once more, again winking at Niall. What the hell had he been talking about? 

“You okay? Where’s Liam?” This other guy seemed a lot more sober and also nicer, he actually seemed a bit panicked not seeing Liam anywhere and it really made Niall wonder why Liam was throwing a party with people he didn’t even want Niall to meet. Or people who were possibly even dangerous.

“Um, in the bathroom. Why?” Honestly, why?!

“Just asking. Ignore whatever that guy said to you, he always gets super smashed at parties and talks shit.” Now this was getting slightly too strange for Niall. “I’m Zayn, by the way, in case you forgot. Liam introduced you to quite a few people.”

“Oh, yeah, um… I’m not sure I remembered anybody’s name.” Niall joked, but it was actually the truth anyways. At least it made that Zayn guy smile. “But, uh, you’re Liam’s friend, right?”

“I do hope he considers me a friend, yeah.” He laughed and Niall tried to relax even though he still felt yet another wave of relief when he saw Liam coming towards them. Oh, thank god. 

“Hi, everything okay?” Liam was directing his question at Niall only and the younger boy made sure to nod, trying to act normally when Liam’s arm wrapped around his shoulders. 

Before Niall or Liam could have said anything else, Zayn was leaning forward to whisper something into Liam’s ear although it didn’t take a genius to figure out what this was about. He was telling Liam about this guy who had talked to Niall, probably warning him that he might have told Niall something Liam apparently didn’t want him to know. What was this, a crime show?

“Anyways, I think I actually gotta use the bathroom as well.” Zayn then smiled at Niall before leaving them alone and suddenly Niall wondered whether Liam had asked him to keep an eye on Niall in case he ever left him alone. It seemed quite likely. 

“Sorry it took me so long, my dad called.” Liam seamlessly took up the conversation with Niall again, pretending like nothing had even happened, as if he hadn’t even heard what Zayn had whispered to him and honestly, Niall had no idea how to bring it up either. 

“Oh, when are they coming back?” It didn’t really scare Niall too much, the threat of their parents finding out about this party, because one, it hadn’t been Niall’s idea and no one would suspect that it had been and two, Liam’s dad seemed relaxed about these sort of things.

“Later, it’ll be fine. My dad probably wouldn’t care anyways as long as everyone’s out when he wants to sleep.” See, it was no big deal. “Let’s go outside, there’s too many people in here.”

Niall had to admit that though that small incident was still on his mind for a while longer, he was indeed enjoying himself at the party and even though it seemed a bit much to simply keep whatever had happened with Harry and Louis off of his mind, it was working very well. Most of Liam’s friends were nice and funny and though obviously Niall didn’t like them more than Liam, he enjoyed talking to them. 

The best thing about this party, as pathetic as it sounded in Niall’s mind, was the way Liam seemed to always be touching Niall in some way, having his arm around him or his hand somewhere hovering over the younger’s back. Though after this incident before Niall had realized that Liam was being this protective and touchy for probably a lot of reasons, that didn’t really take away from the fact that he liked being close to Liam and after all, he wouldn’t have been doing any of this if he absolutely hated it, right?

It was almost 1 in the morning by the time Liam threw everyone out besides two of his friends, one of them being Zayn, who Niall hadn’t seen anymore after he had gone off to the bathroom. He was really impressed by how everyone had just left, how no one had puked into the garden or almost drowned in the pool, because the parties Niall usually attended were exactly like that.

They still had some cleaning up to do, so that’s why Liam’s two friends had stayed behind and Niall couldn’t help wondering whether Louis and Harry would have done the same. 

“Wait, I can take that, just throw it in here.” The thing about this Zayn guy was, he was nice and obviously a good friend of Liam, but Niall somehow couldn’t stop looking at him and thinking about how he looked exactly like the kinda person who would go beat somebody up with Liam. Because if Niall tried to look at all this from the outside and ignored his crush on Liam, then he had to admit that all the signs were kinda pointing towards some physical fights having taken place, for whatever reason. “You look really tired.”

“I kinda am.” It was true, though Niall had kinda slept in today, he had had to suppress a yawn or two while putting the empty bottles into the trash bag Zayn was holding. Then again, it wasn’t even 1 am yet, maybe Niall just needed to pull himself together.

“Well, then I’m glad you managed to stay up long enough so we could meet.” It was a joke obviously, but Niall still wondered why any of Liam’s friends would even care about meeting him, or why the older boy had even talked about him. Sure, Niall talked about Liam with Harry and Louis when he couldn’t avoid it and they asked questions, but that was completely different. 

“Yeah… “ Niall didn’t really know what else to say, but he gave himself a push to keep on talking so it wouldn’t get awkward. “Thanks for, you know, making that guy leave.”

“No problem.” It was barely noticeable, the way Zayn’s face changed, as if he was trying hard not to sound suspicious when he asked. He still did though. “What did he say to you anyways?”

“He just asked where Liam was. And then he talked about me being an Omega.” Not a lie, not exactly the whole truth, but why would Niall be obliged to tell an almost stranger that? “Do you know him?”

“Yeah… pretty sure Liam didn’t invite him and his friends, but a lot of people showed up that weren’t invited. Kinda unavoidable.” Zayn then shrugged, tying up the trash bag, seemingly eager to move on from the topic. “I’ll get this outside.”

“Okay… “ Niall wasn’t sure if the other boy had even heard him, but he also didn’t care all too much. 

Liam was in the garden collecting stuff and Niall pretended to be emptying half full glasses into the sink while watching him. Would Liam have told him, after everything Niall already knew anyways? Or would he just lie again or maybe even get upset? Because it wasn’t actually any of Niall’s business, so who was he to demand answers really? He was just worried, but he had no idea how to approach this whole topic. 

When Liam’s friends had left and the house looked somewhat presentable again, Niall didn’t really expect Liam to come over and hug him after they had been touching for so many hours, but he still did much to the younger’s surprise. “Did you have fun?”

“Yeah… thanks, Liam, for everything and for trying to make me feel better and taking my mind off.” Because he really had, even if a few more hugs like this probably would have done the job as well, but… 

“You’re welcome, I’m just happy if you’re feeling better. And if there’s anything you wanna talk about, you know, you can always come to me, okay?” His voice was really soft and his hand rubbing across Niall’s back in slow circles gave the younger boy shivers as he let his eyes fall closed momentarily, quietly breathing Liam in, trying to capture the moment as long as possible. “Do you wanna use the shower first?”

“Uh, yeah.” Pulling away from Liam was never a nice feeling, but at least Niall had his facial expressions under control, returning the older’s smile when they looked at each other, even as Liam ruffled his hair. “Can you stop doing that?”

“You’re gonna wash it in a minute anyways.” Liam laughed, momentarily wrapping his arm back around Niall to give him another quick squeeze and it was enough for Niall to simply forgive him. “C’mon, I’m kinda tired.”

The thing was, neither of them was drunk or anything and still Niall had a hard time separating from Liam to be alone in the bathroom to shower and brush his teeth. And then after Liam was in the bathroom when he was done, Niall left the door to his room open on purpose, not even thinking of an excuse as he went to sit on his bed after getting dressed. He could hear the shower running from the hallway and just so he wouldn’t think about Liam being naked in the other room, Niall finally took his phone and decided to read those messages after all.

The first few were just random, and then there were like two from Louis telling Niall that it really wasn’t what he thought, followed by two missed calls. There was no explanation from Louis though and Niall didn’t wanna ask, so he read Harry’s messages instead before understanding why Louis’ had been kept so short. 

It really was only one message actually, and Niall had no idea how to feel about it when he read it, but it surely didn’t make him wanna forgive them.

 

_Harry 21:03  
Ni, I know you’ve seen the picture Louis posted & that you’re probably really pissed off – I would be as well. And there’s really no excuse and I know you don’t wanna talk, so I’d just like to explain what happened: I genuinely thought I was going to spend the weekend at my grandparents’, but my parents’ present to me turned out to be this trip with Louis. They only told me in the morning and Louis was already at my house, they asked him a while ago. I have to admit I was so happy I didn’t even think about what I told you and I only remembered after Louis had already posted the picture. I’m really sorry, we never meant to hurt you and I PROMISE, I never lied to you and if maybe we could talk about all this then I’d be more than happy to._

 

Well, it explained Harry’s side of the story, which kinda made Niall feel a bit like a baby for over reacting, but then again, it only made Louis look worse. Because if he had known about this all along… why hadn’t he just told Niall? And also, why the fuck were Harry’s parents planning weekend trips for Harry and Louis?

“Aren’t you tired?” Niall flinched hard when Liam was suddenly standing in his doorway, only wearing sweatpants as usual, looking like a freaking god. 

“Um, I don’t know.” The younger boy shrugged, looking down at his phone once more so he wouldn’t blush even more upon seeing Liam like this. “My friends, uh… they tried to explain themselves.”

“Yeah? Show me.” Liam simply came over and suddenly all Niall could focus on was the fact that the older boy simply crawled into his fucking bed like that, half lying down next to Niall and taking the phone when Niall handed it to him, his mouth feeling dry. Lying in Liam’s bed was one thing, but Liam lying in his… 

It was silent for a moment while Liam read the message and Niall played with his fingers just so he wouldn’t stare at Liam like an idiot. Also, he felt kinda stupid now for this whole drama that he had caused, but it seemed Liam was really invested for some reason.

“Hmmm… I mean, I get it from Harry’s side, but Louis could have just told you, right? Also, are they like together or something? I never asked but it feels like they are.” See?!

“I don’t know, they never said anything to me, but… they only know each other since a bit over a year, I’ve been friends with Louis for forever but I met Harry when we started uni together and I introduced them, actually and… I mean, it’s obvious they get along way better without me, but I don’t know if they’re together. I never asked.” Until recently, Niall hadn’t even thought about it. 

“I get that you’re feeling left out, especially because you introduced them… maybe you guys just need to talk it out, like for real, and maybe you should just straight up ask them what’s going on between them.” Niall knew that Liam was right, but at the same time… 

“I didn’t even tell them that I’m an Omega though, so I can’t expect them to tell me about their love lives.” Now this sounded as if they weren’t actually good friends and Niall regretted having said it, but it was too late. 

“Do you not wanna tell them? Do you think they’d judge you?” Now Liam seemed concerned again, taking Niall’s baby drama a whole lot more serious than the younger boy would have expected.

“I don’t know, no. Maybe. It’s not about that, I just… It’s just everything at once, you know? Like, this has been going on for a while with them and then… and then my mom lost her job and everything and now I’m suddenly an Omega and half the people in my uni classes hate me because I always forget to do my part of the projects because I’m stupid and I failed a whole high school year so I’m older than most of them already and I’ll be even older if I fail my classes as well. And I don’t know if I really had mood swings because of this whole presenting thing, I think that’s actually just me because I still feel way too emotional about everything and it’s just… it sucks. And apparently my friends are in a relationship and have a much better time without me and I don’t even know where to start fixing things.” Also, Niall was crushing on his step brother who apparently had fist fights in his free time, so that had to be added to the pile as well.

Liam didn’t say anything after Niall’s small rant and the younger boy really regretted ever having spoken up, scrolling through the messages on his phone without any intention of answering. When the older boy spoke again though, Niall was more than taken by surprise by the question. “Do you maybe need a cuddle?”

Honestly, Niall’s mind just went blank as he stared at Liam, not knowing how to respond, but Liam had his arms half open and when he reached out for the younger boy, Niall basically let himself fall forward. It wasn’t a hug, because Liam was almost lying down on his bed and now Niall was kinda on top of him, but the older’s arms were quite tight around him and if his intention had been to distract Niall with cuddles, he had definitely succeeded. 

“You know… I know it sounds stupid and cliché, but I really do think that things get better if you talk about them. They’re your friends, why would they purposely wanna hurt you? Or judge you for being an Omega, it’s not a big deal at all, I understand you need time to get used to it and everything, but I promise you other people don’t care what you are, you’re still you. And about uni… you just do your best and then everything is going to work out somehow, I’m not always doing well in class, I’ve failed exams, everyone has. I have classes with people who are 5 or more years older than me, nobody cares. And you’re not stupid just because you didn’t do a few projects on time or repeated a year in high school, I can promise you that. Next time you need help with uni stuff you can just ask me and maybe I can help, okay? Or we can figure it out together.” Niall hadn’t been crying, but he sure as hell felt like it now.

He honestly didn’t know what to say, Liam just made everything sound really easy and positive and he was playing with Niall’s hair and the younger boy felt the warmth of his body through his shirt, Liam’s arm wrapped tightly around him. Though actually none of Niall’s problems had been solved, he somehow felt a little lighter. “Thank you… I know maybe I’m overreacting, b-“

“You’re not, okay? Don’t think that. Those things are stressing you out so they’re valid and you’re not overreacting at all and we’ll find a way to fix them.” The ‘we’ made Niall’s heart flatter a bit as he let his eyes fall closed, not necessarily because he was tired but because he kinda never wanted to move from this position ever again. 

“Okay… “ There were a hundred things Niall could have said, but actually all he wanted was for neither of them to move so he wouldn’t ever have to lose that feeling of safety and overall bliss. 

They fell into a silence for a while, but Liam continued playing with Niall’s hair, almost putting the younger boy to sleep, the party finally taking its toll. Of course Niall knew in the back of his head that the hardest parts were still to come, he still had to talk to Harry and Louis and then, he also had to talk to Liam at some point about all these strange things that had happened. But that could wait a little bit longer, at least until Monday.

Niall was pretty sure he had fallen asleep when he felt Liam move, trying to hold onto him but he wasn’t wearing a shirt so the younger boy had no chance, slowly blinking his eyes open against the light, not being able to help his whining that he would have been embarrassed about had he been fully awake. “Please don’t go.”

“I’m not.” Was all Liam answered, walking towards the door only to close it, plunging them into darkness as he turned off the lights, but he still found his way back into Niall’s bed luckily, allowing the younger boy to snuggle into him again. “Go back to sleep, Ni.” 

Niall didn’t recall whether he had answered or not, all he knew was that he was already nearly passed out again by the time Liam pulled the blanket over them.

 

\------------

 

The fact that Niall didn’t move the slightest bit in his sleep should have maybe alarmed him, but at the same time he wasn’t really surprised by himself. He woke up with Liam’s arms still around him, which almost made him panic for a second before he realized what was happening and that it wasn’t a stranger. Everything smelled like Liam, probably mostly due to the fact that Niall’s cheek was pressed right against his naked chest, but it’s not like it bothered him. Not at all. 

At first, Niall thought that maybe he should have moved, pretended none of this had happened, but wasn’t it already too late for that anyways? Liam wouldn’t just forget what had happened last night and how they had gone to sleep, he was the one who had suggested a cuddle after all, so why would Niall have to move? It was the most comfortable he had been in a really long time. 

There were a lot of things on his mind, but Niall made sure to push them all into the back of his head in favor of enjoying this moment as much as somehow possible. Whoever would get Liam as their Alpha one day was the luckiest person alive and Niall was already jealous just thinking about it, even if one second later he hated himself for having slipped into this Omega mindset. He didn’t need an Alpha, that was stupid.

As much as Niall tried to go back to sleep, he somehow wasn’t tired anymore and at some point he did finally lift his head from Liam’s chest, staying cuddled into him otherwise though, just wanting to look at him for a little bit. 

The room was lit because Niall hadn’t shut the blinds last night, so he had the perfect sight on Liam’s gorgeous face. Niall had never had the chance to look at him this closely and just because he didn’t know when or if he’d ever get the chance again, he reached out slowly to just barely touch Liam’s lips with his thumb. A mistake.

“What’re you doing?” Liam sounded as if he was talking in his sleep and he also didn’t open his eyes, but it still caused Niall to jerk back, almost rolling out of Liam’s arm but the older boy automatically held on tighter.

“Nothing.” Niall choked out, quickly putting his head back down, hoping that maybe Liam would just fall back asleep. Sadly, he didn’t. 

“How late is it?” He yawned quite noisily, his fingers momentarily bunching up in Niall’s shirt.

“I don’t know, I only just woke up as well.” But that didn’t mean Niall wasn’t already blushed like hell of course. “It’s light outside.”

“Hmmm… whatever, it’s Sunday anyways.” Liam barely shrugged, which the younger boy felt due to the fact that he was still half on top of him. Which, honestly, was actually weird as fuck. “How’d you sleep?”

“Good.” Brilliant. “You?”

“Me too. Do you want some breakfast?” No, the only thing Niall wanted was to lie here forever and never move again, but sadly, that wasn’t an option. 

“I don’t really eat breakfast usually.” Niall decided to tell the truth for once, as if Liam didn’t already know that, but then again, he had asked, hadn’t he?

“I know, but we were up really late and it’s probably noon already. So it’s more like lunch anyways.” Without giving Niall another chance to prepare himself, Liam started to slowly sit up, forcing the younger boy to do the same. Almost instantly, Niall felt a shiver going through his body from not having Liam there to warm him up any longer. “You okay?”

“Yeah, ‘m fine.” Niall was trying hard not to meet Liam’s eyes, pretending to be busy rubbing his face with his palms so he would be a bit more awake before searching for his phone that had gotten lost somewhere between the sheets. “It’s almost 1 pm. I’m surprised my mom didn’t come in here yet asking if I’m still alive.”

“I don’t think our parents are even home, I woke up a few hours ago and I heard someone driving off. So they came back last night when we were already asleep and left again before we even woke up, what does that say about us?” Liam laughed and Niall tried to join but it was kinda hard to concentrate on anything else other than Liam’s body when he stretched. 

“That we’re boring?” Also, Niall still couldn’t believe that they had cleaned up so quickly after the party, as if it had never even happened. 

“Maybe.” Liam grinned, suddenly reaching out for Niall and before the younger boy could have prepared himself, Liam had already ran his fingers through his hair, sending goosebumps down his spine. He hadn’t even ruffled it like before, it had been a lot softer and more slowly, gentle, which made it even worse. “I’ll go put on a shirt.”

“Okay.” Niall agreed though he really didn’t want Liam to do anything at all, but it wasn’t exactly his decision.

As soon as Liam had left and Niall had been staring at his back, he let himself fall back into the pillows, kinda automatically breathing in so that his nose was filled with Liam’s scent. Right, he would never wash his sheets again, that was it. 

Liam didn’t come back, but Niall heard him going downstairs, so after taking a few breaths and staring at himself in the mirror, Niall briefly brushed his teeth just to be sure before also making his way to the kitchen. They really were home alone, which got Niall more excited than he knew he should have been. 

“Did you already text back your friends?” Liam asked when Niall entered the room, standing next to him so he could get some juice out of the fridge but really, he just wanted to be close to the other boy again.

“Hm? No.” Niall shrugged, not really wanting to think about it. It was what it was and they were in Disneyland anyways, so they surely wouldn’t have time to talk to him anyways, even if he did decide to answer right now. “Maybe tomorrow.”

“Maybe?” For some reason, Liam didn’t seem satisfied with that answer, but Niall ignored it, going to sit on the bar stools because he couldn’t have helped Liam cook anyways. “I think you’d feel a lot better if you talked it out with them.”

“Or maybe I won’t. They’re most likely together and I already know I’ve been third wheeling a friendship for months, I don’t need confirmation that I’m now third wheeling a relationship. They clearly don’t want me to know.” Why would they have kept it from Niall? It just made no sense. 

“Maybe they didn’t wanna make you feel like they’re excluding you, b-“

“But they are.” Niall interrupted, kinda done with the topic now. “Can we talk about something else?”

“Sure.” Liam let out a sigh, but he didn’t keep on pushing. “About what?”

“This Zayn guy… is he your best friend?” It had randomly come to Niall because they were in the kitchen where he had met both Zayn and this other guy last night. Also, he kinda wanted to see whether Liam would ask him anything about what had happened while he had been in the bathroom.

“He’s a good friend, why?” The older boy didn’t seem at all bothered by that topic and it kinda made Niall wonder whether he was becoming paranoid and interpreting way too much into this whole situation. 

“I don’t know, I was just wondering.” Niall also wondered a lot of other things that he was too nervous to say out loud. He didn’t wanna make Liam upset and it really was none of his business anyways. “Your friends must think I’m the biggest loser ever.”

“Pretty sure no one’s thinking that, how’d you even come up with that?” Liam sounded confused, throwing a look back at Niall while he was making scrambled eggs on the stove and the younger boy simply shrugged, suddenly feeling the urge to go over because the distance between them was too much for his liking. “Most people who came weren’t even my friends, just people I know.”

“I thought they would trash the place for sure and puke everywhere.” Niall joked, slowly coming to stand next to Liam, pretending like he just wanted to watch.

“’cos that’s what you usually do at parties?” The older boy laughed when Niall threw a glare at him, using the chance that Liam was distracted to pull himself up on the counter and sit there instead. Much better. “D’you wanna have a taste?”

“Okay.” Expecting Liam to give him a fork, Niall was more than surprised when the older boy not only blew on the food to cool it down but also fed it to him as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Just so he wouldn’t get embarrassed even more, Niall made sure to act like he wasn’t phased by it either, inside though, he was screaming. “Needs more salt.”

“You think so?” Liam didn’t even wipe the fork before trying the food as well, shrugging a bit to himself afterwards and adding more salt.

All this was so domestic that Niall didn’t even know what to think anymore, he just knew he really enjoyed watching Liam cook and tasting everything the older boy held to his lips. He’d brush Niall’s legs on accident all the time while moving around and though the younger boy knew that it was no big deal even when Liam momentarily leaned his arm against Niall’s thigh, it almost made him choke. 

Niall loved all this way too much, watching Liam cook for him and then eating with him outside in the garden because it was warm enough to do so. By the time the older boy announced that he would go and do some uni work, at least two hours had passed and Niall really shouldn’t have been as sad about it as he was. 

Also, Liam had announced that he would go to the gym later and even though that had nothing at all to do with Niall, he didn’t really enjoy knowing that Liam wouldn’t be home for a few hours. Still, he pretended like he didn’t care, going to his own room and trying to get some reading done for like 10 minutes before having come up with the most pathetic plan ever.

Yes, Niall was being way too clingy and annoyed, he didn’t even know how he was brave enough to just grab his laptop and notebook and walk over to Liam’s room. The older boy had left his door open anyways and he actually didn’t even seem surprised when he looked up from where he was sitting at his desk. “Everything okay?”

“Um, yeah, but, like, I left the window open in my room and now there’s this really annoying fly and I can’t concentrate.” Had there been any doubts that Niall was a complete idiot? Maybe. Were they still there? Definitely not.

“Oh, you can study in here if you want. You can have the bed.” Liam just shrugged, seemingly not even caring about the story, but Niall thought he saw the corners of his mouth twitching.

So yeah, they didn’t talk much but Liam probably did actual work while Niall maybe put in half as much effort, but it was still nice. Also, he was lying on Liam’s bed for probably two hours and at one point the older boy came over when Niall asked him a question and though he hadn’t really expected it, he kinda really got it after Liam had explained it to him.

Naturally, Niall was slightly sad when Liam left to go to the gym, declining the offer to come with him though, especially after hearing that he was going with a friend. Liam told Niall that he could stay in his room though, so obviously that was what the younger boy did, maybe taking a few small naps while he was home alone, getting about 1/3 of his work done. 

By the time Liam came back, Niall was so sleepy that he barely even stared when the older boy came back to his room after showering, a towel only loosely wrapped around his waist. The fact that he barely tried to hide while changing right in front of Niall should have raised a few red flags, but the younger boy simply told himself it was a good thing that Liam felt so comfortable around him. 

“C’mon, you deserve a break, let’s watch something downstairs.” If Liam only knew how many breaks Niall had taken while he had been gone. Or maybe he did and he was just being nice not calling his lazy ass out.

“What’re we gonna watch?” Honestly, Niall didn’t care, he had already closed his laptop, leaving it on Liam’s bed so that he would have a reason to come back here afterwards. 

“I thought you like most movies anyways.” Liam smiled, making Niall roll his eyes but at the same time he felt a little high from what the brunette had said and the fact that they were spending so much time together.

Because they had been home alone all day and even woken up together in the same bed, Niall pretended for a little bit that they actually lived here by themselves, just for fun and because it wasn’t causing any harm anyways. He knew deep down that there was no hope that he and Liam would ever be more than what they were right now, but that didn’t mean he could just stop craving it. 

Honestly, Niall barely paid attention to the movie they were watching in the living room, he was trying to figure out what to answer Harry and Louis and after deleting the text he had written around 5 times, Liam asked what he was doing. So because Niall actually wouldn’t have minded sitting a bit closer to the older boy, he scooted over to him until their thighs were almost touching, handing him his phone and asking him for advice.

“Do you think that’s too harsh?” Niall hadn’t written much, just that he’d be okay with talking tomorrow.

“No, I think it’s fine. Should I send it?” Liam waited for the younger boy to nod before pressing send for him and giving the phone back. “You’ll feel better once you talked to them.”

“I hope so.” Niall shrugged, not quite sure but he was also not really in the mood to fight with anybody, no matter what happened tomorrow.

Just because he was already sitting so close to Liam, Niall decided to simply stay there, making himself more comfortable, and if he rested his head on the older’s shoulder after a while, Liam never even did as much as flinch. Actually, he did the complete opposite by moving his arm to rest on the back of the couch behind Niall after a while, allowing him to fall more into him. Perfect.

The physical contact somehow made Niall feel better in more than one aspect, it was like he was constantly craving it when they weren’t touching and he knew that it was probably because he was an Omega and even if he kinda hated that he was suddenly so needy, he also didn’t wanna stop. Liam probably knew, but he didn’t seem to mind at all, didn’t even comment it or anything, basically letting Niall do whatever he wanted.

“I think I heard the front door.” Liam told Niall after a while, maybe so that the younger boy could sit up if he wanted to, but after a second of considering it, Niall simply shrugged, staying exactly where he was. 

When their parents came in to say hi and asked them whether they had already eaten, Niall made sure not to look at their faces, pretending to be really into the movie instead and luckily Liam didn’t seem embarrassed by any of it either. At some point he had to part from Liam of course, once they were all eating dinner together, and he was pretty sure his mother threw a few too many intense glances at him, but Niall had gotten really good at ignoring those. 

Even if everything was kinda shit and Niall’s life was slightly messed up right now, he still couldn’t remember the last time he had enjoyed a day this much and had felt so safe.

 

\-------------------

 

“Are you gonna be okay?” Liam sounded worried when he asked and Niall would have been annoyed had he not had his own worries. Also, after this weekend he kinda felt weird about saying bye to Liam for a few hours, possibly even longer because he had no idea when Liam would get home or if he would get home and anyways, it shouldn’t have even been any of his concern anyways. “I could also just yell at them if you want me to.”

“No, I think… I think you’re right, about the talking it out part. It’ll be fine.” Niall wasn’t a baby after all, was he? He had just spent another night in Liam’s bed with the excuse that he was too tired to move after they had watched something on Liam’s laptop after dinner. So now that Liam had also driven them to uni, Niall felt even less like he wanted to part from the older boy. 

“Okay, but if anything happens you can text me, yeah?” He was talking as if Niall was about to go to war or something, but obviously the younger boy didn’t even think about complaining when Liam stopped walking just to pull him into a hug before they had to go into opposite directions. “It’s gonna be alright, they’re your friends.”

“Yeah…” Niall half choked out, hugging Liam back as tightly as possible and already missing him the moment Liam let go of him once more, a smile on his face. 

“See you later.” Of course Liam ruffled Niall’s hair again before walking away, but honestly, Niall didn’t even mind it anymore because it sent about a hundred shivers down his spine. 

Niall wasted some time before his first class, buying something to drink and pretending as if he wasn’t in a hurry. Truth was though, he came almost late into the class, which was slightly embarrassing each time because they were only 25 people in total, but Niall had simply been trying to avoid sitting next to Harry and waiting for their professor to come in. 

“Hi.” Harry whispered to Niall when the other boy sat down next to him because there was no other seat.

“Hi.” Niall didn’t look at him, mostly because there was no use, but also because he was nervous about all this. Usually he would have probably given Harry his birthday present, but one, he didn’t have anything because he had been planning on buying it on Saturday and two, well, the obvious.

Usually this class seemed to last forever, but today, it was over so quickly that Niall almost wondered where the time had gone. They had half an hour after this class before their lecture and Louis usually only started a lot later, so when Harry had texted Niall yesterday that they could talk today and that Louis would come to uni sooner just for that, it had made Niall extra anxious.

Which had also led to him sleeping in Liam’s bed, AGAIN, but honestly, Liam never seemed to care even just a little bit, he was always open for cuddles and hugs, like a real life teddy bear. Except much better than that because he always made sure to ask if anything was up and offering solutions. 

“Is it still okay if we talk?” Was the first thing Harry asked after the class was over and they were packing up their things, to which Niall simply nodded, pretending to be really busy sorting out his backpack. “How, uh, how was your weekend?”

“Good.” Niall shrugged, a little annoyed that Harry had asked if he was being honest, because wasn’t this weekend the reason for their whole fight?

“I saw on Liam’s Instagram that you had a party, was it cool?” It seemed he genuinely wanted to know and make small talk, but Niall couldn’t help but hope that Louis and Harry had been even just a little bit jealous upon seeing the pictures. 

“Yeah. Liam’s friends are really nice.” Niall made sure to add the last part while they were walking out of class, taking his phone out so he could pretend to be busy.

“Yeah? That’s great. He seems like the best step brother ever.” A poor attempt at a joke, Niall didn’t even try to fake a laugh and luckily the other boy stopped talking, so they were just walking next to each other in silence, probably to go and meet Louis.

Niall had no idea what he was even going to say, he had asked Liam last night before he had fallen asleep, but he had passed out somewhere in the middle of it and this morning, he hadn’t really felt like talking about it in the car. Also, he didn’t wanna get onto Liam’s nerves with those stupid problems all the time, as if he were 12 years old or something, because Liam clearly already saw him as a younger brother anyways.

Louis was waiting where they usually sat outside when the weather was nice, which was good because less people would hear them in case they got loud, but also not so good because if Niall decided to leave, he’d have to walk across the whole campus with the others being able to watch him walk away.

“Hi, guys.” For some reason, Niall had expected Harry and Louis to hug or something, but there was nothing, Harry just greeted him as well before sitting down and so Niall did the same, not saying anything though. He was honestly more upset with Louis than Harry. “Sooo… how was-“

“Can we just stop the small talk?” Niall interrupted, because he really couldn’t have dealt with this now. 

“Um, sure.” Louis cleared his throat, sharing a look with Harry that already got Niall slightly upset. “Niall, we are both really sorry and I swear, we never wanted to hurt or exclude you and I really get that you’re upset and you have a right to be, but you’re our friend and we didn’t do this on purpose, we’d never.”

“Then why did you? You could have just told me from the beginning.” Well, Niall would have still been a bit upset, but he would have understood. 

“I didn’t even know it for that long, Harry’s parents just asked me like two weeks before that and I didn’t even know that you and him were talking about celebrating his birthday this week. And Harry had no idea about anything, he really thought he was going to his grandparents.” At least that made Harry not a liar, but did Louis really think it made HIM look any better?

“If you maybe recall, me and Harry were friends before you even knew him, so I don’t know, maybe the idea that I would have more reasons to celebrate with him than you could have crossed your mind?” Honestly?

“Niall-“

“And even if it didn’t, it’s obvious you wanna be alone all the time and do shit alone and spend whole ass weekends alone, so I’m really wondering what the point of talking about it even is. If you don’t wanna hang out with me then just say it. You didn’t care about posting that picture either and rubbing it in my face, so go ahead.” Niall was done with this, with all of it, he hadn’t really planned on just exploding on them, but now it was already done. 

They shared another look and Niall honestly wanted to get up and just leave, but he forced himself to try and remain calm, telling himself that it was probably still because of him presenting and stuff that he was getting riled up so damn quickly.

“Remember… remember when we were at that party? Where Liam drove you home?” Harry suddenly started and Niall was confused but he still shrugged before nodding, because it had literally been only a few days. “Remember what you asked me?”

“Uh, no? I was drunk.” All Niall could remember clearly from that night was puking on the sidewalk and telling Liam how hot he was.

“Okay, uh, we kinda wanted to tell you for a while, but… but we were still figuring it out ourselves and then you were upset because we always spend time together and, the thing is, we… we’re together. As in… a couple.” There it was, finally, out loud in the open and Niall knew he had no right to be angry right now, but he still was anyways.

“Great.” Was literally everything he could think of and yeah, he was happy that they were happy but like… all this was a mess. 

“We should have told you much sooner, I’m sorry we kept it a secret. It wasn’t fair to let you think that we just randomly wanna spend time alone all the time and that we’re forgetting about you, we never did, I promise. We didn’t wanna hurt you.” Harry sounded genuine, they probably both were and honestly, it all made perfect sense and Niall knew that his way of reacting to it all was a dick move, but he couldn’t stop himself.

“Whatever.” What else was there to say anyways? “It’s fine, we can just forget about it all.”

“That’s really not the best idea maybe. You’re still clearly upset.” Louis threw in, but Niall didn’t look at him, he was instead just playing with his phone in his hands, trying to stay calm. “Are you okay? Like, in general? You’re like… ever since you moved, you’ve been acting a bit off.”

“How am I supposed to act? It’s not like it matters, does it? I told you we can just forget about it a-“

“Okay, stop. Look, I know you’re upset because what we did wasn’t cool, but you’re acting like we stabbed you in the back or something. We needed time to figure it out ourselves and we DID ask you to hang out a lot and you simply declined all the time and then when you agreed, you just left when we fell asleep. And I’m not saying it’s your fault or anything or that we’re innocent, but we can’t do anything about the fact that we fell in love. Yeah, we should have talked to you sooner and cleared it all up, but I got a feeling we’re not the only ones who kept a secret.” Fuck. “And at least we never lied to you.”

“What do you mean?” Niall tried to act clueless, but his cheeks were already starting to get a little hotter. They couldn’t possibly know, could they?

“Well, first you never have time when we wanna hang out and then you suddenly have a cold and you pretend like you don’t even like Liam and yet you’re hanging all over him and throwing parties with him and you always get so fucking upset so quickly about every tiny thing and-“

“Are you done?” When exactly had Niall turned into the problem?! “I know you just asked me to hang out out of pity and I never said I don’t like Liam?!” 

“See, even now you’re almost yelling in my face.” True, but there was a bloody good reason for that? “What’s up with you?”

“What’s up with _me?!_ ” Niall was about to explode, seriously, or about to cry, maybe both, he wasn’t quite sure. 

“Guys-“

“Yes, with you?” Louis simply interrupted Harry as he tried to interject, looking quite uncomfortable during their fight, but Niall barely took any notice of it. “Are you seriously mad at us because we’re dating and you feel left out? I mean, that’s the whole problem, isn’t it? Me and Harry spent some time together and now you’re pissed?”

“Honestly, fuck you, Louis, you don’t know _anything_. I’ve been going through some stuff but you wouldn’t know because you don’t care about anybody except yourself, do you? My mom loses her job and we get evicted and all _you_ wanna talk about is whether my step brother is hot or not and whether we hooked up. And you’re one to talk about me being upset that you guys, my only fucking friends, hang out without me, when _you_ can’t even take that I live in the same house as Liam and you gotta go and stalk him and whatever else. It was the same with Harry, you couldn’t fucking take that I found other friends you didn’t know and you were asking all day about me introducing you guys and all three of us hanging out and now I’m the asshole for being upset? Fine, I’m done.” Maybe a bit drastic, but Niall didn’t care.

“Niall, don’t go, wait.” Harry was the one who immediately grabbed a hold of Niall’s wrist to keep him there and the other boy tried pulling his arm away with force, but no chance. “Can we _please_ just talk about it like normal adults?”

“Tell that to your boyfriend, Mr. ‘I don’t give a shit about your problems as long as I get what I want’.” Now Niall was clearly going too far, he could see it in the way Louis’ face changed, but he didn’t care anymore.

“Can you get it together? Nothing of what you said is even true. We’ve been friends for years and you suddenly think I don’t care about you? That’s bullshit.” Louis shook his head in annoyance and just for that Niall wanted to smack him. 

“Well, if I feel that way then it’s your fault and not mine.” Niall shrugged, finally getting his arm back from Harry and just because he knew that he’d have to say it at some point and he was so angry now that he didn’t even care about saying it, he simply did. “I’m an Omega.”

“I- what?! Since when?! What the fuck?” At least that shocked Louis enough so that his mouth had dropped open. 

“Since I moved in with an Alpha.” Was all Niall said, not really feeling like explaining it any further, but he kinda already regretted ever having said anything at all. 

“Wait… oh my god. So when you had a cold… did you go into heat?! But you live in the same house as Liam! Are you on pills?!” Why did everyone care so much about Niall taking pills?! 

“Yes, but just because Liam’s an Alpha doesn’t mean we’re gonna have sex or so, we weren’t even that affected by it.” Well, Liam hadn’t. 

“Jesus… well, that explains a whole fucking lot.” Louis shook his head to himself in disbelief and before Niall or Harry could have asked what the fuck that was supposed to mean, Louis already kept on talking. “No wonder you’re on the edge all the time when you just presented. And when you’re an Omega.”

“That’s a stereotype.” Okay, Niall really wasn’t one to talk about that, was he?

“Maybe, but Omegas are still usually more emotional. Also explains why you were all over Liam in those pictures from the party. You crave affection from an Alpha, especially one that lives in the same house a-“

“Can you shut up? I’m still me.” And Niall had been into Liam before all this, so… also, weren’t they having a fight right now? “And it makes nothing of what you did undone.”

“Niall, look.” Louis started, actually scooting closer to him, which the other boy only commented with a glare. “I’m sorry. I really am, okay? I posted that picture because I wasn’t thinking, at all. And when you became friends with Harry, yeah I wanted to meet him because you always talked about him and he sounded cool. And when we started noticing that we feel more for each other… we didn’t wanna tell you immediately because we didn’t even know if it’d work and we didn’t wanna make you feel excluded. I know we still did by acting the way we did and I’m sorry for that and so is Harry. And I’m even more sorry you feel like your problems don’t matter to me because they do, we’ve been friends for years and… yeah, I was a bit too interested in Liam, but… he really is good looking.”

“Seriously?” Harry mumbled under his breath and Niall would have laughed had he been in the mood for it.

“Can you forgive us? Or me, actually? I’m also sorry for freaking out on you just now and implying that you’re jealous.” Louis sounded genuine and now Niall felt bad and even if he had to give himself the biggest push ever as he took a breath, he still decided to get over himself.

“It’s fine… I’m sorry too for everything I said and for acting like a 12 year old. I’m happy for you guys, really.” He was and at least it meant that they could all stop sneaking around now. Hopefully. “And sorry I lied.”

“It’s okay, we’ve kept things from you too… but next time there’s something, can we just talk about it immediately?” Good idea even if Niall didn’t see himself doing it, but he still nodded anyways. “So, are we all good?”

“I guess so.” Niall shrugged, returning Louis’ smile only a little bit, really surprised when Harry suddenly hugged him kinda awkwardly because of the way they were sitting and then Louis did as well and after a few seconds, Niall made sure to pull away when it got weird. “Okay, I think that’s enough.” 

The other two just laughed and Niall felt himself smiling, the knot in his stomach loosening a little. They should have talked to each other way sooner, but it was really whatever at this point because it was done now anyways. Sure, Niall still didn’t know how he was supposed to feel knowing that his only two friends were together and would do stuff without him all the time, but it was fine, he could deal with it.

“Sooo… what’s it like being an Omega?” Of course Louis had to ask that and Niall immediately rolled his eyes, playfully of course.

He had just been about to ask what Louis wanted to know when he saw Liam across campus, with Zayn and, to Niall’s surprise that one guy who had made these cryptic comments to Niall when Liam had been in the bathroom. They were too far away for Niall to hear them and he was sure they hadn’t even seen him, but they were clearly arguing with this guy and almost instantly, he felt his stomach drop again. Was this about the party? About what that guy had said to Niall?

“Niall?” Harry waving a hand in front of his face caused Niall to flinch before shaking his head briefly, trying not to think about what he had just seen.

“Uh, sorry, what did you say?” Niall tried hard to pretend like nothing was up, but while trying to describe to the other two what exactly going into heat felt like, all he could really think about was what the fuck Liam was hiding from him. Great, one problem solved and another one had just gotten even bigger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone :)
> 
> im so happy so many of you seem to be enjoying this fic, im having a lot of fun writing it & reading your comments, so thank you so much for all the support!
> 
> i have been refreshing my emails all week afraid to get an exam result but it never came and now ive been stressed out for nothing, so i hop you guys had a better week than me! and if you didnt, i hope this week will be better for all of us!
> 
> <3


	6. Chapter 6

Though it was on his mind a lot, Niall didn’t ask Liam more than two times about what was going on with him in the next three weeks.

The thing was, Liam was really good at making excuses and sounding all logical and natural whenever he gave Niall explanations for the things going on. At some point, Niall actually thought he was just imaging it all, Liam didn’t come home with any more bruises for a while and he just let it slip, afraid to get the older boy upset. And even more afraid that Liam wouldn’t allow him to sleep in his bed anymore. 

They were definitely close, physically speaking, Niall’s mother did comment on it once but it seemed everyone just simply assumed it was because of Niall being an Omega. Which probably had something to do with it, but it surely wasn’t all there was to it. No one seemed to suspect anything though, not even Liam, which was both good but also making Niall feel guilty. It was like, they were doing all these things and Liam had NO idea that it meant something completely different to Niall. But he couldn’t have told him, not now and not ever.

Things with Harry and Louis were going fine ever since they had had their talk and even if they still spent a lot of time without Niall of course, he felt a lot calmer about it. Maybe because he had already presented a while ago but maybe also because Liam had become a real friend to him, not just as wishful thinking. Still, Niall hadn’t invited his friends over yet and he kinda wanted to, but also, he kinda really didn’t.

“Can you help me?” Niall had stopped caring about whether Liam really meant it whenever he had offered that he could explain stuff to Niall or help him with his problems in general, because there had never been a time when he had said no or where he would have been annoyed. At least he hadn’t shown it.

“With what?” Liam seemed a little startled, probably because Niall hadn’t really announced his arrival. 

“Just this stupid powerpoint presentation.” It’d be a lie to say that Niall had worked very hard on it, he had had other stuff to do and then also, he wasn’t that good at giving presentations in general. Liam was though, even if Niall had never seen him give one, there was not a single doubt in his mind. “It won’t take long, can you just tell me if it looks shit or not?”

“Yeah, sure, come here.” The older boy moved a bit to the side where he was sitting on the garden bench, probably not feeling like looking over Niall’s presentation right now, but he never said anything about it. “When’s the presentation?”

“On Wednesday… I think.” It was Monday now, so there was still a whole day for Niall to look over it, but he hadn’t really talked to Liam all day today and he did need his help, so… 

Liam put Niall’s laptop on his lap once the younger boy had sat down next to him and handed it over, maybe sitting slightly too close, but to his excuse, the bench wasn’t exactly that big. The weather wasn’t actually that warm though the sun was shining down, but Niall almost felt cold sitting there waiting for Liam to look over what he had spent the last hour on. 

“It’s good, but maybe you got a bit too much text on the slides… also, some pictures could help too.” Liam always worded his criticism so nicely that Niall just nodded, taking it like that even though he really didn’t wanna have to change anything at all and he had really only asked so that he had a reason to come sit with Liam. That was the thing, Niall always made an excuse for everything and he had gotten so good at it that there would have been a chance Liam wasn’t looking right through him if he weren’t doing it every day. “Are you doing it by yourself?”

“Yeah, no one wants to do group presentations with me anymore.” Niall laughed even though it was kinda the truth, but when he saw Liam’s concerned face, he quickly made sure to keep on talking. “No, everyone has to do it alone. I’m gonna screw it up, but thanks for looking at it.”

“You’re not gonna screw it up, Nialler. Do you already know your text?” Liam completely ignored Niall getting half up so the younger boy leaned back again, shrugging a bit. “How long does it have to be?”

“Like, 10 to 15 minutes.” Well, that was the minimum required, but Niall didn’t really intend to go over that anyways. “I’ll change the slides and then I’ll practice the text tomorrow, I’ll wing it somehow, I always do.”

“I can help you change the slides.” He didn’t seem bothered doing it, in fact, Liam already seemed very focused on Niall’s laptop again, as if he was worried the younger boy would screw it up somehow. The chances of that happening were very big. 

“I can do it, you were probably busy doing something else.” Like most of the time when Niall came to bother him in his room or elsewhere, but Liam somehow always immediately interrupted whatever activity he had been doing for him.

“I was just reading this book, it’s not that good anyways.” Liam shrugged, not even looking away from the screen and starting to rewrite something on Niall’s second slide so obviously, Niall simply shut his mouth from there on. “Did you choose that topic?”

“No, I just chose it because the topics are on fixed days and I didn’t wanna have to hold it too soon.” Niall always needed some time at the beginning of each semester to slowly get himself to start with assignments and stuff. Also, being the first one to hold a presentation in class was literally his worst nightmare. “I kinda regret it though, it’s so boring and I hardly found any literature on it.”

“Did you check in the library?” The corners of Liam’s mouth were twitching when he asked while still editing Niall’s slides and the younger boy rolled his eyes. 

“You know I don’t go to the library. There are enough articles online that I can use.” They were all on the university website, so they were just fine to use but Niall knew that he probably wouldn’t forever manage to get by like that. “And I’ve got this illegal website to download books, Louis showed me.”

“The books in the library are also free. I can go with you if you’re nervous.” It sounded a lot like a joke but honestly, it probably hadn’t been one. 

“I’m not nervous, I just don’t wanna go, I’d just lose a book or spill something on it and then they’ll never let me in again anyways.” Not sure if that was how it worked but Niall also didn’t wanna have to pay so there was that. 

“So you’re just pretending they already banned you?” Exactly. “Do you mind if I change the title on this slide?”

“No, but you really don’t have to change the text on all of them, I can-“

“It’s fine, I don’t mind it.” Liam just shrugged, continuing to reduce the text on Niall’s slides and the younger boy was more than thankful and also very content with simply watching. 

It didn’t take very long because Niall hadn’t made the presentation that long anyways, so Liam also helped him find some pictures and then simply went over to correct Niall’s citations on the last slide without even saying anything about it because apparently, he had fucked up every single one. Seemed about right. 

“I gotta go in a little bit, to a shoot.” Liam started all of a sudden and Niall’s first reaction was to be disappointed even if he didn’t even know what for. The older boy hadn’t done a lot of photoshoots ever since Niall had moved into this house, maybe two if he remembered correctly, but it seemed to pay off well. Also, Niall had taken it upon himself to do research and to find Liam’s old photoshoots online, but no one had to ever know that, right?

“Oh, okay. What for?” Was it stupid that Niall was immediately thinking about a topless shoot? But Liam was so gorgeous, why would they wanna hide his body behind clothes?

“Just for some brand store.” He shrugged, probably because it wasn’t a big deal to him anymore but Niall was still impressed. “They’re gonna leave in my tattoos this time so it won’t take this long in make up. Do you wanna come?”

“I- uh…. Wh- would that be like…are you allowed to, um, bring random people?” The question had taken Niall completely off guard, also because Liam was still busy with his laptop and wasn’t even looking at him. 

“You’re not random. But yeah, it’s fine, I can bring someone, no one will care. I understand if you don’t want to, it could become kinda boring even if it won’t last that long. It’s up to you, I won’t be mad if you’d rather stay home.” In what world did he think that would happen?

“No, I… I think it’d be really cool to come and watch, actually. And I don’t have anything planned anyways.” Niall tried to sound neutral about it, but he was actually freaking out inside. Liam wanted him to come or he wouldn’t have asked, right? 

“Okay, cool. We can do something after.” Was it Niall’s lucky day today? Although, it’s not like they never did anything together, actually, they did stuff multiple times a week, it just got Niall really excited whenever Liam was the one who asked. “Alright, look at this.”

So they looked over Niall’s slides again and the younger boy made sure to thank Liam like ten times for helping him, but Liam simply shrugged, telling him that it hadn’t been a problem. He did go upstairs afterwards to change his clothes and do whatever while Niall just waited for him, trying not to freak out completely over all this. 

He also texted Louis about it for absolutely no reason at all.

No one was home, so they didn’t tell anybody that they were leaving, for which Niall was really glad because he didn’t even need to see his mother’s face to know what it would have looked like. She seemed a little suspicious of their behavior around each other and Niall wondered if she knew about his crush or if it was simply because Niall was an Omega. Which actually reminded him that he would be going into heat again soon because it had been more than three weeks and it was already stressing him out. 

“I actually really don’t feel like doing this right now.” Liam suddenly said after starting the car, which kinda surprised Niall because he had always thought Liam enjoyed his job. Or his jobs, hadn’t he claimed he had two at some point? Niall couldn’t really remember anymore.

“Why? Is it exhausting?” Not that Niall would have an idea.

“No, maybe a little. It’s not like I’m doing it so often and I can’t imagine it being anywhere near as exhausting as working a different job, I just don’t really feel like it. But it’ll be more fun because you’re coming.” Oh. He had asked Niall because he thought it was more fun with him around? Hopefully he wasn’t just saying that because it got Niall more excited than it should have. “And I can finally take a break from working out for a few days after it’s over.”

“What happens if you don’t work out enough beforehand?” He always looked the same to Niall, stunning beyond anything.

“They might get mad and then my agent will get mad and I could be fired from the job. Which makes sense, I mean, they’re paying me to look a certain way, so.” Liam shrugged, but it actually sounded like a lot of pressure and it kinda got Niall feeling a bit stressed out for Liam even if he himself didn’t seem to mind all that much. “But it’s not a shirtless shoot today and I’ve worked with them before, so they wouldn’t say anything… what was that look on your face just now?”

“What?” Fuck.

“Are you disappointed it’s not a shirtless shoot?” Liam let out a loud laugh, as if just the thought that Niall could care about that was amusing to him and the younger boy truly wanted to smash his head against something.

“Why would I be disappointed?” Niall lied, trying hard to get his facial expressions under control. What the fuck was even wrong with him?! “I see you shirtless every day, it’s like, normal. I’m more excited to see you with clothes on for once.”

After this, Liam actually didn’t reply immediately and Niall had NO idea where all this had come from and why he had just said any of that, he had gone way too far in his attempt to talk himself out of it, but luckily, it made the older boy laugh quite a bit. “I had no idea you were that bothered by the way I dress. Or don’t dress.”

“Well, now you know.” Niall was having the hardest time to sound confident and as if he hadn’t just truly been disappointed knowing he wouldn’t get to see Liam shirtless, but it seemed to amuse Liam so there was at least that aspect of it. If Niall couldn’t get what he so desperately wanted, at least he could make Liam laugh once a while. “So, what are we doing after?”

“Whatever you want.” The look Liam threw at Niall after saying that, right before looking back onto the street ahead, sent shivers down the younger’s spine. 

 

\------------------

 

Watching Liam doing a photoshoot was both completely different than Niall would have expected but also a lot more exciting than he would have thought. There weren’t as many people as Niall would have thought and they truly didn’t care about him being there as well, everyone was nice and of course Liam being his charming and gorgeous-self received praise with no end. 

Niall had 0 idea about modelling, but apparently Liam was doing a terrific job and the younger boy would have immediately agreed had anybody asked him. Which no one did of course, because he was just sitting there on some boxes watching Liam being photographed and changing his clothes in front of everyone because he didn’t seem to care. Or maybe he was doing it because of Niall’s comments in the car before.

When they had arrived, Liam had introduced Niall to everyone as his younger brother, which people had found cute apparently, but it had still felt quite weird. Then again, Niall wasn’t sure what else he would have wanted Liam to call him? A friend? He knew he had no right to be upset with any of that because they would technically be step brothers if their parents got married, no matter what kinda feelings Niall had for Liam. Feelings that were going to go nowhere at all. 

While watching, Niall kinda regretted having bragged to Louis about coming with Liam to his job when he checked his phone for the first time in a while.

 

_Louis 15:58  
Is it a nude shoot? Send pics_

 

God, Niall TRULY shouldn’t have said anything, he knew Louis after all. 

 

_To Louis 16:33  
I’m gonna tell harry you said that_

 

Ever since they had told Niall that they were together, they had started becoming a lot more affectionate around him and when they were at uni and stuff, and it made Niall wonder whether they had only held back because they had been keeping it a secret from him. It was fine though, it hadn’t changed anything between them other than the fact that they probably hung out every day and that they held hands sometimes.

 

_Louis 16:35  
Go ahead, we can both appreciate a good looking guy ;)_

 

Did Niall even wanna know what that was supposed to mean? Probably not. He made sure to think twice before answering his friend, so focused on his phone for a moment that he flinched terribly when Liam suddenly spoke to him, having come over because they were taking a break or something. 

“Are you getting bored? We’re almost done.” Liam was smiling when Niall looked up, quickly locking his phone and never pressing send on that message after all, his cheeks feeling hot.

“No, I was just… Louis needed something.” Liam’s nudes. “I’m not bored.”

“I wouldn’t mind if you were.” The older boy just shrugged, drinking from the water bottle he had brought before offering it to Niall and just because the younger boy was pathetic and way too obvious, he took it even though he wasn’t thirsty whatsoever. “It’s weird having you here watching, it almost makes me nervous even though there’s always strangers watching as well.”

“Why would I make you nervous?” Seriously, just the thought alone felt weird to Niall, Liam was probably making it up or something. 

“I don’t know, but I’ve never really brought any of my friends, so it’s just different.” He had sat down next to Niall, still wearing the clothes that they had given to him before and if Niall had been braver, he would have maybe told Liam how freaking good he looked in them. But he probably knew that anyways. 

“I can cover my eyes if you want me to.” Niall joked before laughing at himself and Liam only rolled his eyes, but there was a small smile tugging on his lips when he suddenly wrapped his arm around the younger boy, squeezing him lightly. 

“I don’t think that will be necessary, but I appreciate it, thanks. Have you already thought about what you wanna do after we’re done here?” Well, Niall had thought about a lot of things that he had then decided were all stupid, so he just shrugged. “You still got some time left.”

“You can also decide what we do, I really don’t mind.” Not at all, in fact, Niall would have greatly preferred that actually because then at least he’d know Liam was actually enjoying himself. Not that he would have ever shown it if he hadn’t, but still. 

Liam looked like he was about to say something else, but then he got called back by someone and so he just threw a look at Niall that made his heart skip a beat. As usual. 

There were a lot of things going through Niall’s mind while watching Liam, trying to come up with something cool that they could potentially do after, but it was really hard to do that when his mind wasn’t working properly with Liam pulling all these faces and poses. He was truly so attractive it was actually ridiculous and Niall really wondered how not every single person Liam met was in love with him. Not that Niall was in LOVE or something… maybe just a little bit.

The shoot lasted for another 30 minutes or so, and Niall genuinely didn’t mind, but Liam still apologized to him once they had left and somebody had told Liam upon leaving that he could bring his _little_ brother again any time. Which was nice of course, but also not really what Niall would have wanted to hear, especially not because it made Liam laugh quite a bit.

“So, what’d you think?” Liam asked while they were walking back to his car and Niall regretted not having brought something warmer to put on because it was definitely getting a bit chilly. “You can tell me now if it was boring as hell, no one can hear you anymore.”

“It wasn’t boring at all, I thought it was interesting to see you doing all that. I have no idea about modelling or anything like that but it looked like you knew what you were doing.” Then again, he could have just stood there not doing anything and the picture would have probably come out great. “When did you start doing it?”

“When I was really young, actually, my mom brought me to this audition thing, I think I was only 6 or so, it was for kids’ clothes. And I just kept doing it since then, it’s fun. Although right now I’m not taking a lot of jobs because I wanna focus on uni and stuff.” Liam was fumbling for the keys in his jeans pockets and Niall tried to be subtle about watching him. “Did you think about where you wanna go?”

“I’ve thought about a few things, but, uh, I’m actually pretty hungry.” That was alright to say, right? Also, it was the truth. “But you can choose where we go, or if you wanna do something else, I don’t know if you’ve already eaten or not.”

“I haven’t, I’m hungry too. But you know… I don’t care where we go, we could even go to McDonald’s if that’s what you want.” He sounded quite genuine as he unlocked the car and Niall was actually really tempted to say yes, but also, he had somewhat gotten used to eating a bit more healthy ever since he had moved into that house. 

“No, it’s fine. We could also, um… we could just go to Tesco and then eat it somewhere else.” Niall suggested carefully because he wasn’t sure what Liam would think about that and he had to wait until they had both gotten into the car to receive an answer. It’s just, he didn’t really wanna spend a whole lot of money and he also didn’t want Liam to offer to pay for him or something like that.

“Sure, whatever you want.” There was nothing at all Niall could have suggested that Liam would have said no to, was there?

Though Niall hadn’t really specified where he wanted to go because he actually had no idea, they happened to end up walking through the park very close to Niall’s old home after buying food, the one he used to play in when he was a kid and where he would hang out with his friends once he had gotten older. When Niall’s stomach was maybe grumbling a bit too loud, Liam suggested that they sit down on a bench.

“You’re not gonna pass out, are you?” Liam joked once they had sat down and Niall rolled his eyes, not hesitating to get his food out of the bag because he hadn’t eaten since this morning. “I’m quite impressed by your food choices.” 

“You’re rubbing off on me. It’s not a good thing though, all these healthy things cost a lot more somehow.” Or maybe Niall was just being a bit dramatic.

“They really don’t, maybe you just chose the wrong things.” Maybe. “You didn’t buy any of it though because you thought I’d comment on it if you didn’t, right? I wasn’t trying to get on your nerves or anything whenever I said something about the stuff you were eating.”

“No, I wasn’t even thinking about that actually… I mean, when you first commented on me eating that cereal, like the first day after me and my mom had moved in, I wanted to punch you in the face.” Niall was fine admitting all this now, taking a huge bite of his sandwich afterwards, watching Liam’s eyes go a bit wider. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to be that annoying, I don’t know what I was thinking. I always wanted us to get along.” He sounded so genuine while saying it that Niall almost had a hard time swallowing his food because it felt like he had a bit of a tight throat all of a sudden.

“We do get along.” Actually, they got along brilliantly, considering how many times Niall had slept in Liam’s bed, how many times they had cuddled for no apparent reason and how much time they spent together when they didn’t have to. Like right now. 

“I know, but I didn’t know if we would before we met. I gotta admit, I was a little worried at first… I mean, I stalked all your social media, but-“

“Wait, what?” Niall had barely managed to swallow, actually thinking he had misheard the last part but Liam simply shrugged. He had done the same of course, but… he had never thought Liam would be that interested. 

“What’s so strange about it? I bet you did the same.” True. “And I know you were really worried about this whole situation as well, it could have ended in a complete disaster if either of us was like a complete asshole or something.”

“I was kinda an asshole at first.” To everyone and not only Liam, but the older boy had never seemed very phased by it and he also didn’t now when he just laughed at Niall. 

“No, you were just being a bit moody and upset, I thought it was quite funny. It’s not like I didn’t know where it was coming from, the whole move and the situation and then the fact that you’re an Omega… although you were right about simply being a moody person.” Maybe he had said it as a joke or maybe not, either ways, Niall simply rolled his eyes at him, looking away from Liam’s grin because it was making him feel way too soft inside. “If you could go back to your old apartment now, would you?”

The question had come out of nowhere after a short moment of silence and Niall had no idea why Liam would ask him that, but it did make him think a little bit. Did he? It had only been around 6 weeks but it truly felt like so much longer and Niall knew the answer to that question without thinking about it, but he wasn’t sure if he should have just said it. “If it were exactly like before… then, no, I guess.”

“Like what?” Liam sounded genuinely interested, his eyes soft when Niall met them on accident, quickly clearing his throat and pretending to be busy opening his water bottle.

“Like, my mom struggling with rent and her job and all that… and with Harry and Louis.” And also… “Uh… I’m also um… I’m not so unhappy that, um, you know, that we met. Because like, I might still live thinking I’m a Beta otherwise.”

“That’s why you’re happy we met?” Okay, that had come out really wrong, but it seemed to highly amuse Liam anyways while Niall was just sitting there with his face turning red. 

“No, I mean, yes, but, not only… not only because of that. Anyways, we actually met before, at that party and… I suppose we would have met at some point anyways after you’ve come back from your semester abroad and… yeah. Whatever.” Oh god, why wasn’t Niall able to just fucking keep things simple?!

“How much do you actually remember about that party?” Right, Niall was an idiot for having brought that up again. 

“I mean… all of it, pretty much… you?” It was a problem, the fact that Niall had remembered what it felt like to kiss Liam for quite a while, he was slowly starting to forget somehow, mostly because he wasn’t necessarily trying to hold onto the memory. It only made things harder. 

“Me too. Not a bad thing though, is it?” Liam just shrugged, as if it was nothing, as if they were talking about the weather or something. 

“I guess.” Niall was too embarrassed to really talk about it, but now that they were already at it… “I thought you didn’t remember anything… I thought you only kissed me because you were drunk out of your mind.”

“I wasn’t actually that drunk, only a little.” So then why had he kissed Niall?! Yeah, Niall had been slightly over confident and a bit tipsy, but he had been fully aware of what he had been doing when he had started flirting with Liam and the older boy hadn’t even hesitated. “Maybe it was the kiss.”

“What?” Him saying the word _kiss_ actually made Niall feel dizzy.

“That kinda got your inner Omega going. But probably not, that was a week before we even met properly. It’s possible though.” Had Liam just subtly changed the topic on purpose or was Niall getting a bit too much into all this? 

“Yeah, I guess. But, um, I didn’t mean it like that before, like, that I’m only happy we met because of this.” Just to clarify because Niall did feel slightly bad now, but it seemed there wasn’t really a reason to. 

“I know, I was just joking. You’re also really, really happy that you now got your own personal driver, right?” Right, well, Liam wasn’t exactly wrong even if he was laughing afterwards. Then again, he was the one who offered all the time to pick Niall up and take him to uni and drive him back home. “Nah, I’m kidding. I’m glad you guys moved in, the house is really big and I like having you there so we can do stuff together.”

“I, yeah, I… I like that too.” More than he would have liked to admit. And even more than that, Niall liked having Liam there when they were not doing stuff but were simply lying in bed and the older boy let him cuddle into him as often as he wanted, even the whole night through. “I only ever lived with my mom, so I didn’t know if… you know, what it’d be like.”

“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to… I was just wondering, do you still have contact with your dad?” It was a question Niall had heard many times in his life and though Liam was asking rather carefully, the younger boy actually had no problem answering. 

“No, I’ve never met him. I don't even know his name or where he lives and I actually don’t care to find out. He left my mom when she was pregnant with me and she never heard another word from him, he never even asked my name, so it’s whatever, he doesn’t exist to me.” Why would he? He had no part in Niall’s life, he had never wanted to be in it, so why would Niall try to make an effort just because they were related?

“Oh, I didn’t know that, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.” Liam sounded guilty, which surprised Niall because he had thought it was clear he didn’t care.

“It’s fine, really, I don’t mind talking about it.” He shrugged, shoving the rest of his sandwich into his mouth to prove his point but also because he was still hungry. “Do you ever see your mom?”

“Yeah, on holidays mostly. But she lives in London with her other family, so it’s hard to just spontaneously meet up. I’d like to though, I haven’t seen my younger sisters in a while.” Wait…

“You have sisters?” How had Niall not known that?!

“Did you not know? When my parents split I was about… 12? And my mom moved to London a year later with her now husband and they have two kids, my half sisters. They’re 5 and 7. Have you never heard me FaceTime them?” Well, thinking about it, Niall had heard a lot of weird phone calls through the walls, so…

“I don’t know, maybe. I just thought I’d know if you had sisters so it never really crossed my mind.” Actually… if Liam was used to having younger siblings, it made a lot more sense, the way he treated Niall and everything, as if he was his little brother. Then again there was a huge difference between 5 and 7 and 20… hopefully also to Liam. 

“I told them about you, they were quite jealous that I’ve got a brother now.” The way Liam grinned made Niall’s stomach twist, even more so because just for a second, he had been a little jealous as well, for no particular reason. “I can’t believe we never talked about this.”

“It was probably so obvious to everyone that no one ever mentioned it to me. But it’s sad if you can’t see them a lot because I can imagine they grow up quite fast.” They were still so little, but if Niall imagined having two half siblings he never saw but actually got along well with… it had to be hard, for all of them. 

“Yeah, but that’s just the way it’s always been, I guess, so I’m used to it. My mom wanted me to live with her when my parents split, but I wanted to stay in my school with my friends and stuff and I never regretted it. It’s all good, we still all celebrate holidays together.” Oh god, did that mean that Niall would have to meet Liam’s entire extended family at some point? He only really had his grandparents and they never celebrated anything together really, so… just thinking about this now actually made Niall nervous. “Do you want some of mine?”

“No, I’m not hungry anymore, thanks though.” Liam offering him food was really tempting, but Niall tried to keep it together, still busy thinking about what he had just learned about Liam’s family. They had had talks like this before of course, but never really about their families, so it had definitely come as a surprise. “Now that we’re talking about all this, I actually used to live over there in that building.”

“Wait, really?” Almost immediately, Liam tried to figure out which building Niall was pointing to, mostly to get over his irrational fear of meeting extended family. “The big one?”

“Yeah, on the fourth floor. I’ve been in this park probably a billion times as well.” Being here with Liam was kinda strange, so Niall hadn’t said anything, but he felt like now was a good time to bring it up, also because he had kinda wanted to. 

“We can leave if you don’t wanna like… if it’s weird or something. I genuinely didn’t know.” Liam almost instantly apologized as if any of it was his fault.

“No, no, it’s fine, it’s not weird at all. Actually… sitting here I’m kinda glad I won’t have to go back home to our old apartment, the neighbors always hated us and when I was a kid I always only had fights on the playground. It really wasn’t that good of a place to live.” Niall just hadn’t known anything else, but now he did, and now he also knew Liam because without him, the younger boy wasn’t actually sure how much he would have enjoyed that massive house. 

“It was still your home.” Liam noted, softly, in a way that made Niall swallow a bit. 

“Yeah… but change isn’t always as bad as I thought, I guess.” There was really nothing Niall missed if he was being honest with himself, if anything, he had gained a lot more. “I was just being a drama queen about it for a while.”

“Understandable.” The older boy actually sounded serious and Niall suddenly wondered what Liam’s reaction had been to his dad telling him that two strangers would move in with them as soon as he was back from his semester abroad. That he had to share his bathroom with some random guy who he had never even met before. Niall would have probably freaked the hell out the other way around, even more than he already had. “As long as you’re okay now.”

“I am.” Probably more okay than in a really long time. “Thank you.”

“For what?” Liam seemed genuinely confused for a second, which only got Niall more embarrassed when he shrugged a little bit, looking away from the older’s face.

“For everything. Always asking how I am and stuff… and for helping me with boring uni shit and for driving me around and all that.” And just in general for sometimes being the only person Niall could always rely on, even if that sounded quite sad, but it was somehow true. 

The older boy didn’t answer immediately and Niall didn’t dare checking his face so he flinched quite terribly when Liam wrapped an arm around his shoulders, squeezing him a bit because they were sitting kinda close to each other anyways. And as if that wasn’t enough, he also kissed the side of Niall’s head, like, not even briefly or anything. “You’re so cute.”

“Stop it.” Niall tried pushing Liam away while the other boy just laughed, and oh god, Niall’s heart had never been beating this damn fast. 

“Why? It’s true, I wasn’t saying it to make you feel embarrassed.” But he had anyways. “C’mon, don’t ruin the moment.”

“I didn’t.” Niall grumbled, but he still gave up, allowing Liam to squeeze him some more while trying not to die. This was maybe the most brotherly relationship Niall had ever had with anyone and it was also with the person who he least wanted to have a brotherly relationship with. Amazing. 

“Sorry.” Liam apologized after a while, but it was obvious he was still amused and just because Niall was already blushed, he did give in this time when Liam offered him some of his food again. Probably because he already knew Niall well enough to know that he had only declined before as to not come off as greedy. 

They stayed in the park for a while even after they were done eating and Niall really had no urge to go back home anyways. He should have probably practiced his presentation and all that, but he much rather spent time with Liam doing nothing at all and just talking. It made it easier for Niall to deal with all of his feelings somehow, because being with Liam just made him so happy and calm, as if nothing at all could have gone wrong. 

“What are we doing now?” Luckily, Liam didn’t seem so keen on driving back home either even while they were walking back to the car after more than an hour and yet again Niall had no suggestion to make.

“I don’t know, I’m cold.” So maybe nothing that involved being outside.

“We can change that.” Was all Liam said and honestly, maybe deep down Niall had expected him to take off his jumper and hand it to him, but he still hadn’t lied. “You could’ve told me sooner.”

“I wasn’t cold then.” Niall shrugged, a little bit too excited about putting Liam’s jumper on but he hoped the older boy didn’t notice how he subtly tried to breathe in deeply. 

“Do you wanna go back home?” NO.

“Not really.” It didn’t seem like Liam wanted to, so that was really the only reason why Niall said the truth without feeling like a clingy and annoying idiot. Then again, Liam had asked him to come along to his job AND to hang with him after, so… 

“Do you wanna watch a movie?” Somehow it sounded as if Liam had already thought about this a while ago and before Niall had even had time to open his mouth, the older boy added another thing that kinda made it even more impossible to say no. “I’ll pay.”

“I can pay, it’s f-“

“No way, it was my idea.” That literally made no sense whatsoever, but Liam knew that Niall didn’t earn a lot of money at the movie theater, so the younger boy didn’t really feel all that bad about not fighting him on it. Also, now Niall could pretend like all this really was a date even if it couldn’t have been further from the truth.

 

\--------------------

 

Because it was Monday, they were pretty much the only people watching the movie that Liam had chosen because Niall had told him he really didn’t mind at all. Obviously they didn’t go to Niall’s work place but somewhere else, but it still kinda reminded him of last Friday when he had been working and a few minutes before he had been about to lock up and leave, Liam had suddenly shown up to drive him home so he didn’t have to take the bus at night.

It wasn’t really that Niall was afraid of the dark or anything, but watching a thriller and even with Liam there right next to him, Niall was slightly freaked out once they left the movie theater. He had really enjoyed himself, especially because Liam hadn’t minded at all whenever Niall had grabbed his arm, only out of reflex of course. 

“Did you hear that?” Niall felt a bit on edge when they were walking back to the car and it was already dark outside, he still had Liam’s jumper on though so at least he wasn’t cold.

“Yeah, somebody is walking on the other side of the street.” Liam answered calmly, petting Niall’s finger’s curled around his arm. “Did you really find the movie that scary? I wouldn’t have chosen it if I had known you get freaked out so much.”

“Normally I don’t, it was just… creepy.” And a bit too realistic for Niall’s taste, not that it had been a bad movie or anything, especially with Liam sitting right there next to him. “At least now I have an excuse to not practice my presentation anymore tonight.”

“What does that have to do with anything?” Liam laughed, unlocking the car once they had reached it and maybe he could sense Niall’s fear because he actually waited for the younger boy to having gotten into the passenger seat to walk around to the front seat. 

“I don’t know, because I can’t concentrate anymore. But I’m not saying you chose a bad movie, it was just… intense.” Still, Niall would have done it again because he would have done anything Liam suggested, pretty much. “Thanks again for paying. And for all the popcorn.”

“You’re welcome. Thanks for coming with me to my photoshoot.” Was he really thanking Niall for _that?!_

“I’ll come with you again any time.” Niall blurted out with it while Liam was pulling out of the parking lot and though it was dark, he could see the smile the older boy flashed at him briefly. He knew how much Niall always wanted to be around him, there was no way he didn’t and honestly, at least that meant Niall didn’t have to try and hide it anymore, right?

It was a short drive home sadly, Niall almost suggested they should have gone on a night walk, but it was really dark and it was a Monday and he would have probably just been freaked out the whole time anyways. Whenever they got home after hanging out, Niall kinda felt weird, like, he hated the moment he’d either have to go do something by himself or come up with an excuse to stay glued to Liam’s side a bit longer. Maybe this wasn’t healthy anymore, maybe Niall really needed to get it together, but it’s not like they spent every breathing moment together or anything.

Niall’s mom was really interested in where they had been but she didn’t really ask for too long and then Liam had to go help his dad figure out why the TV wasn’t working properly and Niall decided to slip away and go upstairs instead even if it was dark and kinda creepy. He couldn’t always run after Liam like a puppy and he really should have practiced his presentation for uni, so that’s what he did. At least for a little bit.

Because they had been gone for so long, it was actually quite late already and Niall got ready for bed after a while, not feeling very tired though so he simply watched some stuff on his phone, for way longer than planned of course because that’s what always happened. He also texted Harry a bit and then also Louis in their groupchat that the latter had created after they had talked about all their issues kinda, all while still leaving the message Louis had sent him before during the photoshoot. 

At 1 in the morning, Niall kinda felt like he was ready to finally sleep, but literally right when he had been about to slowly drift off, he jerked into an upright position after hearing a bump from outside. Almost immediately, the memories of the movie came back and Niall didn’t even dare breathing too loudly, suddenly painfully aware of his door being unlocked like it usually was.

Niall would have maybe told himself that it had been his imagination going crazy, but then there was yet another sound and this time he didn’t hesitate before grabbing his phone that he had in bed with him anyways, not really thinking as he typed a message with shaky fingers.

 

_To Liam 01:07  
Are you still awake???_

 

Maybe slightly exaggerated with all the question marks, but it might have helped with how quickly Liam responded, immediately knowing what was up, thankfully, because him being asleep right now had been Niall’s worst nightmare. Besides the one outside.

 

_Liam 01:08  
It was just the wind outside, it probably knocked over the garden chairs, happens sometimes when there’s a storm_

 

Sounded like a logical explanation, but also, how would Liam even know?!

 

_To Liam 01:08  
What if it wasn’t? Maybe someones trying to break in_

 

It was a huge house and a really nice one, surely some people would wanna break in and rob them. The fact that Niall had just seen that movie before was pure coincidence. Somehow though, Liam’s reply instantly took Niall’s mind off, at least for a second or two.

 

_Liam 01:09  
I promise no one can break in here  & no one has ever tried, it were the garden chairs. But you can come to me if youre scared_

 

Okay, Niall would have literally NEVER passed up a chance to sleep in Liam’s bed, especially when Liam was already offering, but just this one time, he knew he would have been too scared to even just get out of bed or turn the lights on. 

 

_To Liam 01:09  
I cant, what if someones in the hallway?_

 

Maybe slightly exaggerated again but also, what if Niall was right?

This time, Liam didn’t text back immediately and Niall was afraid he had slept in or something and he could SWEAR there was another sound in the hallway but it was hard to tell because Niall had to admit that he could definitely hear the wind outside.

Just when he had been about to double text Liam and be annoying as always, Niall literally had the biggest shock of his life when there was a short knock on his door and before he could have gotten himself back together and used his brain to realize that no one would have knocked other than Liam, the older boy was already coming into his room.

“Fuck, you scared me… “ Niall could only see the older boy because Liam had been using the flashlight on his phone, closing the door again behind himself and making Niall’s heartbeat even more unsteady than it already was.

“Sorry, I’m just really tired, let’s go to sleep.” And that’s basically all Liam said before coming over to Niall’s bed, the younger boy already having made space for him without thinking about it, only momentarily feeling cold when Liam lifted his blanket so they could share it. All this was so normal by now that it should have been worrying, but it was actually the best thing ever. “I promise it’s just the wind outside.”

“It just came out of nowhere and I was almost asleep.” Also, Niall was a baby, but what was new. “You didn’t have to come over if you’re that tired, sorry.”

“It’s alright, I was still awake anyways trying to get something done for uni, but I decided to give up.” As soon as Liam had lied down next to Niall and the younger boy was still sitting up, Liam reached out for him with one arm after having put his phone away and because it was everything Niall wanted right now anyways, he immediately cuddled up against Liam, putting his head in the crook of his shoulder like an embarrassingly large amount of times before. “Do you think you can sleep? I promise there’s no one trying to break in here and I’d protect you if they did.”

“I can try.” What else was Niall supposed to say? He definitely felt a ton better now with Liam next to him and letting him cuddle into him like usually. Also, Niall was pretty sure that in case anybody would have ever tried to hurt him, Liam could have knocked them right out. Even if that knowledge wasn’t all too comforting in every aspect considering knowing that Liam had gotten into a few physical fights before had kept Niall up a few nights. “Thank you for coming.”

“You’re welcome. Sleep tight, I’m here if you need anything.” Liam yawned, petting the younger’s shoulder and Niall decided to stay quiet so that at least one of them could get some rest. Was it wrong that Niall was kinda happy that he now had a really good excuse for whenever he wanted to sleep in the same bad as Liam?

 

\---------------------

 

“I really wanna see your house.” Louis randomly threw in while they were walking across campus and for whatever reason, it immediately caused Niall to start breaking into a sweat. Honestly, there was no big deal at all about Harry or Louis coming over, everyone had told Niall it was just fine, he just… something was holding him back. 

“I know, I just-“

“But” Louis interjected, holding up a finger to signal that he hadn’t even been done when Niall had already been about to make an excuse. “I respect it if you don’t want me or us to come over.”

“Since when are you saying things like that?” Niall had to give it to Louis, ever since their talk, he had definitely stopped asking about Liam too much and trying to push Niall to tell him stuff when he had already said no. Still, this was maybe a little too much. 

“I don’t know, but I mean it. It’s just… the house looks so cool in pictures.” On Liam’s Instagram posts more like. “But it’s fine if you don’t want to invite people over, I guess… “

“Don’t try to guilt trip me, it’s not gonna work.” Niall rolled his eyes while the other boy was just laughing, luckily too busy with that to notice Niall constantly checking his phone. He had had a good night after all, and also a good morning waking up still half lying on top of Liam and even if he knew that his mother had most likely found out about it. The much bigger problem was that now after spending so much time with Liam, Niall just wanted to constantly be around him. “If I do invite you, then you gotta ask Harry when he as time as well because-“

“All week.” Amazing.

“How do you know?” Harry wasn’t here, he was in some class Niall had decided not to take because he had known that he would have failed it anyways with everything else he was taking this semester. Not that it was a lot really, he just wasn’t the most motivated. 

“He’s my boyfriend.” Louis said, as if it was an explanation or something but Niall could hear the pride in his voice. Ever since they had told him, they had probably used the word boyfriend 100 times already and at first Niall had been happy for them, but it was getting a bit much. Then again, he really wasn’t one to talk about being annoying, right? “Just let me know, okay?”

Niall sighed, finally putting away his phone then and giving himself a small push. The real reason he hadn’t wanted them to come over was because of Liam and not because Niall thought they wouldn’t get along, but because… what if they got along too well? Still, he couldn’t forever use that excuse and he did want the others to come over and hang out, so… “Do you have time today?”

“Today? Yeah, sure, totally.” Almost immediately, Louis’ whole face had lit up and Niall refrained from rolling his eyes because if it was making the others so happy to come and see the house… why not? “Is that alright with your mom and, you know, her boyfriend?”

“Yeah. They’re at work anyways and they told me I can invite over whoever I want, Liam does the same.” Although, Liam actually didn’t invite people over that often anymore, which Niall had only really taken notice of because he was creepily invested in everything Liam did. Not like, in a stalkerish kinda way, but they lived in the same house, so. “I’ll ask Harry when I see him in a bit.”

“Okay, great. Harry can drive, unless Liam is driving you or something.” The way he said it, it was obvious Louis was more invested in this than he was letting on, but Niall completely ignored it, as usual.

“No, he’s going to the gym with his friends after uni, so.” Not a lie, although Liam had offered this morning that he could just go to the gym a bit later and drive Niall home beforehand right before offering that Niall could have also come with him, both of which the younger boy had declined. They were on top of each other so much (literally) that Niall was a little afraid Liam would grow tired of him soon if they kept it up. 

“Okay, cool. How was it yesterday at his photoshoot? You never texted back, I thought you were really upset that I asked for pictures. It was just a joke, you know that, right?” Right. 

“I know, I just forgot to answer and then Liam was already done.” A lie, kinda, but Niall couldn’t have told Louis how distracted he had been from watching Liam and that they had spent the rest of the day AND the night together. “It was just for some clothing store, he was never even shirtless if that was what you were gonna ask next.”

“I’m sorry you had to go through such disappointment, Nialler.” Of course Louis had to laugh so hard that a few people walking past flinched terribly and Niall threw an apologetic look at them.

“Congratz, you’re officially uninvited from coming over, I’ll text you pictures of me and H-“

“Awww, come on, I’m joking, yeah? I would have been disappointed as well, anyone would have. It’s not fair that he looks that way, but I guess as an Alpha he has it a lot easier as well.” Though Niall had tried to resist, Louis had wrapped an arm around his shoulders, holding him so tightly that the younger boy had simply given up on trying to shrug him off. Whatever.

“He works hard to look that way, it doesn’t have anything to do with what he is.” Seriously, did Louis think Liam just magically looked like that? Well, he kinda did considering his face and all, but also… Niall was biased as hell, he didn’t actually care what Liam looked like, sure, it had attracted him to him at first when they hadn’t known each other, but Niall didn’t care anymore, he would have been into him no matter what now. That didn’t mean he didn’t like to stare though.

“You don’t have to defend him, Ni, I’m already shutting my mouth, okay? Sorry. I’ll come meet you guys after your last class.” They had reached the building where they had to part and honestly, Niall wasn’t too unhappy about it, but at the same time he was kinda relieved that he had gotten over his small fear of having the other two over. 

As Louis had predicted, Harry did have time when Niall asked him a few minutes later and though he didn’t seem quite as excited as Louis, he also seemed pretty happy about the invite. Niall was 100% certain that Harry also knew about yesterday, but he didn’t say a single word involving Liam or really anything else that wasn’t uni related, so that was good.

Niall hadn’t talked to Liam in person or via text message since he had driven them to uni this morning, so he also didn’t know when he’d be home or anything, which he would have normally been sad about, but not today. Harry had made Niall sit in the passenger seat so that he could give him directions to the house while Louis kept on commenting pretty much anything that they passed from the backseat, talking about how much this area already looked like it was for the richer people. Funnily enough, that was what Niall had also thought the very first time he had been here.

“You’re joking, right?!” Both Harry and Louis seemed more than impressed once they saw the house, but the moment Niall had unlocked the door, their jaws basically just dropped. “Holy shit, this is even bigger than it looks like in the pictures. You really live here? This isn’t some kinda prank?”

“Yeah, I stole a house key just to pull a prank on you, you caught me, Lou.” Niall joked, making sure to check whose shoes were by the door, relieved to find out that they were alone. 

“This is crazy, the entrance hall alone is as big as your old apartment.” Louis was right, actually, even if it came out sounding a bit wrong. “How many times have you gotten lost in here?”

“Never, it’s not actually THAT big.” Well, it was, but not compared to other houses in the area.

“Not that big, huh? You’re already becoming one of them Niall. Sad.” Louis shook his head in a really dramatic manner, chuckling when Harry gently shoved him and Niall made sure that they took off their shoes before he took them on a house tour, as requested.

It felt weird somehow, to walk around in this house as if he owned it or something, especially when Liam had done the very same for Niall just a few weeks ago. Niall did show Harry and Louis his room, almost getting a heart attack when he saw Liam’s jumper from last night still hanging over his chair, but luckily neither of them noticed.

Because it was really nice weather and Niall’s room was a mess anyways, they sat outside in the garden, just talking, and it was a lot more relaxed and more fun than Niall had feared. Maybe that was because they were all alone for about two hours or something and at this point, Niall had kinda stopped checking his phone and thinking about anybody coming home.

So naturally, he had the biggest shock ever when he heard Liam’s voice from behind. 

“Hey, guys.” He didn’t sound surprised at all to see them, but Niall almost fell out of the garden chair turning around to look at him. Clearly, Liam had already been to the gym, his hair was damp from the shower and he was wearing the probably tightest shirt he owned. Shit. 

“Hi.” Niall half squeaked after Harry and Louis had greeted Liam as well, suddenly feeling more nervous than he should have. 

“I was wondering where you were, I texted you.” Liam told Niall while coming outside into the garden as well, not waiting for the younger boy to say anything but instead simply reaching out to shake Harry’s hand because they had never officially met as Niall suddenly realized. Well, they had at that party a while ago, but Liam had only yelled at him back then. God, why was Liam so polite? “Hi, I’m Liam. You’re Harry, right?”

“Yeah, nice to meet you.” At least Harry’s smile simply seemed nice compared to Louis’, more grinning while staring at Niall, who absolutely refused to look at him. 

“So… are you not going into the pool? I heard it’s gonna get colder tomorrow, might be your last chance.” Liam made it seem so casual when he sat on the armrest of Niall’s chair, OF COURSE having to ruffle Niall’s hair a bit and make him blush like hell. 

“Ummm… I don’t know.” Niall didn’t really know what else to say, because if Liam was about to suggest what he thought he was… 

“I wanna go into the pool.” Louis immediately chirped in, probably only for a single reason. 

“Great, let’s go.” Liam sounded enthusiastic, apparently not noticing that his phone had slipped out of his pockets when he got up from the chair again and Niall caught it, about to give it back while Harry and Louis were busy discussing that they had nothing to swim in with Liam, but Niall kinda stopped paying attention when he automatically looked down onto Liam’s phone as it lit up. 

 

_Z 16:04  
They said tonight, 22.00. 300£. Should be easy._

 

“You can borrow something from me or Niall.” And normally, this offer from Liam directed at his friends would have made Niall mad jealous, but right now, he just felt a bit sick to his stomach as he struggled to keep a straight face and pretend like he hadn’t seen anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys!!!
> 
> yet again thank you so much for all the long, lovely comments, i get so happy whenever i see that ive got something in my inbox!!! <3 im so happy so many people are still enyjoing this fic, thank you!
> 
> im also happy i managed to update on time haha, today was my last day of uni so i went home for summer break and my train literally arrived an hour ago but somehow i made it home in time! so now i have loads of time to write during the summer and im super excited!
> 
> hope you all liked the chapter & dont worry, we will soon know whats up with liam ;) 
> 
> love you all!


	7. Chapter 7

“… or not.“ When Liam corrected himself, probably upon noticing the younger’s blank stare, Niall had already dropped his phone where it would have landed had he not caught it and the thing was, no one had noticed anything, not even almost. “Niall?”

“Huh? Sorry, yeah, um, you guys can just… borrow something from me, it’s fine. I’ll go and get it.” Niall knew he wasn’t doing a very good job at covering up the fact that he had just read that message on Liam’s phone, probably from Zayn, because how many people did Liam know whose names started with a Z? 

Though Niall hadn’t really thought that Liam would be coming after him, he should have probably expected it. The older boy didn’t say anything to him though until they were walking up the stairs, probably so the others couldn’t hear them. A very brief and subtle glance at Liam’s jeans pockets told Niall that he must have noticed that his phone had slipped out when Niall had gotten up. 

“You okay?” Liam sounded worried, which made sense considering he always seemed to be worried and Niall was kinda acting off. “Sorry if you wanted to be alone with your friends, I can just-“

“No, it’s fine, really. I, uh, I don’t know if I wanna go into the pool though, but you guys can.” To be fair, Niall had never been in the pool before even though Liam had suggested it a few times and it wasn’t because of the text message at all, so at least he sounded honest when he said it.

“Why not?” The older boy questioned, simply following Niall to his bedroom while Niall tried to come up with an excuse that didn’t give away the truth. 

“I’m not actually feeling that hot.” Shrugging, Niall opened his closet to look for his swimming trunks, actually not even sure whether they would fit both Harry and Louis. Fuck, he couldn’t concentrate on anything while replaying that text message in his head over and over again. Who were _they?_ Where were they gonna get 300 pounds from and what did they have to do for it if it would be so easy? Were they gonna rob somebody? Was Liam a criminal?

“Me neither, but you’ve never been in the pool and it’d be fun.” Liam was leaning against Niall’s desk, undoubtedly watching him as he went through his closet. “It’s fine if you don’t want to though.”

How could Liam do anything illegal when he was this nice? He wouldn’t ever wanna steal from somebody, right? And what for anyways, he already had enough money. Then again, apparently he was also hurting people by beating them up, so what did Niall know about him anyways? He had thought he kinda knew Liam by now, but it seemed that wasn’t the case at all. 

“I’ll think about it, I guess… I’m not sure if they’ll both fit in my clothes.” Niall hated all of this, the timing and the fact that he was still jealous thinking about anybody else putting on Liam’s clothes other than himself. But what was he supposed to do? He couldn’t ask Liam about it, it was none of his business to read the other boy’s text messages. 

“Okay, I’ll get some of mine. Meet you downstairs?” He asked as if they were gonna spend hours apart or something and Niall couldn’t help but think how bizarre all of this was, everything he did with Liam, this whole domestic stuff and Liam being so sweet and then at night he went and did god knows what?

“Okay.” Niall simply agreed, pretending to still be busy looking at his clothes, kinda relieved when Liam walked out. It was obvious that he was just trying to give Niall space, that he wouldn’t just let it go like that in case Niall didn’t manage to get himself together anytime soon.

Though it was only for a few minutes, Niall managed to calm down just a little, changing his pants after all but still leaving on his shirt. The real reason he didn’t wanna go into the pool usually was because he actually didn’t wanna necessarily undress in front of Liam and today, he also didn’t really know what Louis would be up to, so… it didn’t seem like a good idea, at all.

When Niall came downstairs, Liam was of course already there, shirtless, his tattoos and muscles on full display and Niall tried his hardest to ignore the other boys’ stares. Could they stop thirsting for Liam, for god’s sake? They were in a fucking relationship. 

The only good thing about this whole situation was that it was Harry who had to borrow clothes from Liam because Louis fit just fine into Niall’s. Then again, Niall didn’t even know what his own damn problem was, because it really made no difference whoever wore Liam’s clothes or who he smiled at because it wouldn’t make him magically fall in love with Niall anyways. Also, it wouldn’t make whatever he was doing at night to get money undone, which was really the part Niall was most stressed out about right now.

The thing was, he felt terrible thinking this, but he was more concerned about Liam getting caught by the police or something than the fact that he might really be doing illegal stuff. Oh god, what if he was doing drugs?! Or even worse, selling them?

“It’s really not that cold.” Liam told Niall as soon as the other three had gotten into the water, Louis having pushed in Harry so they were having a playful argument that involved a lot of splashing, so Niall felt rather content just sitting by the side, watching. “In case you change your mind, I mean, just so you know.”

He was so cute, Niall just couldn’t look at him and think that he would ever do something to hurt anyone on purpose or anything illegal and it was just a really shitty situation because… what if the Liam Niall knew wasn’t even who he really was? 

“Niall, don’t be so boring, come on.” Obviously Louis tried splashing Niall, but seemingly coincidentally, Liam made sure to block him and it only made the younger’s heart ache even more. Until now he had kinda ignored whatever had been going on with Liam, also because it had kinda stopped and his excuses had always sounded so convincing, but now… could Niall have really just ignored that message and pretended like nothing was up? He genuinely wasn’t sure anymore.

Watching Liam with Harry and Louis in the pool wasn’t making Niall as jealous as he would have expected, but still jealous enough so that he felt like getting up every five seconds. He didn’t though, he just moved to a different chair after a while, playing on his phone and wondering how this day had turned out like that. It probably looked like he was upset that Liam had come to hang out with them, which really wasn’t the case, but how could Niall have explained anything of what was going on in his head to anybody? 

At one point, Niall started feeling so ridiculous about all of this that he decided to join the others after all, even if he was still kinda nervous about it, but like, why would it have mattered anyways, right? Liam saw him as a little brother, he had introduced him to people as that, he was treating him that way pretty much every single day, he surely wouldn’t even think about what Niall looked like. 

“Fuck, it’s cold as hell.” Niall was freezing pretty much the second he had touched the water with just one foot. “Louis, I swear if you splash me I’ll never talk to you again.”

“He won’t.” Liam answered instead of Louis, who just grinned, but lowered his hand anyways. Would Liam have punched him in case he had still done it?

Niall took his time getting into the pool and when he had finally managed to convince himself to quickly put his head under water as well, he was even colder than before. Like yeah, it was a warm day, but definitely not pool party warm. 

“Your lips are already kinda blue.” Harry pointed out after a moment, which was of course followed by a worried glance from Liam that Niall tried to ignore.

“It’s really cold.” It also didn’t help that Niall kept moving around, well, maybe a tiny little bit, but he actually didn’t even wanna stay in here long enough to find out whether it’d make a difference. 

“Because you’re an Omega.” Louis just said it like that, as if it was common knowledge or something and maybe it was, Niall clearly hadn’t done enough research back when he had found out, only for a few days. Then again, he hadn’t even known that he was an Omega for pretty long so there were a lot of things he didn’t know. 

“Why would that make him feel cold?” Harry asked and Niall decided to just not say anything and keep on swimming while ignoring Liam as much as possible. 

“I don’t know, I just heard that from other people. It’s just because Omegas are smaller and stuff, like, so that Alph- I mean… whatever, not to generalize or anything, it’s just what people say.” Louis corrected himself very quickly, probably sensing that Niall was about to interrupt him, but he kept it together because there was no point anyways. 

He tried diving one more time before deciding that though he could have probably stood being in the pool, he would rather get out again because it wasn’t actually that enjoyable and he was a tiny bit afraid of the others jumping in again from the edge like they had before.

No one said anything when Niall got out of the pool, shivering like crazy of course and on top of that needing fucking ages to untangle his towel that he had carelessly thrown on one of the chairs before. They only had four in total sadly, because Liam had brought three outside with him, so Niall had to try and survive with only one.

Or so he had thought.

“Maybe you should try and warm up inside, you’re still shivering.” Niall flinched when he felt Liam’s hand suddenly rubbing his arms over the towel from behind. He hadn’t even noticed him getting out of the pool as well because the other two were busy discussing something related to what Louis had just said about Niall, so he was trying not to pay attention. “Come here.”

Niall had barely turned around to face Liam before the older boy was already wrapping a second towel around him, his own. Apparently, Liam wasn’t cold at all though he was standing in front of Niall dripping wet and still somehow managing to look even better than before while Niall probably looked like a drenched cat. “But then you will be cold.”

“No, it’s okay, I’m good.” Liam simply shrugged, either not caring that the others could see them or not thinking about it when he pulled Niall against him, tightly wrapping him up in his arms and trapping Niall’s underneath the towels. 

It got Niall’s heart beating fast like whenever they touched, but Liam didn’t really hug him like this all too often, usually only briefly. Despite the fact that Niall was aware that Louis wouldn’t ever let this go again, he didn’t fight Liam’s arms around him for just a single second, he was really warm and he was rubbing Niall’s back, trying his hardest to warm him up. No matter what had happened that day, Niall wouldn’t have ever rejected a hug like this. 

“Sorry if you had other plans before I showed up.” When Liam apologized, he was only whispering, sounding really guilty and Niall felt his throat getting tight as he put his cheek against the older’s shoulder. How could he have ever been upset with him?

“I didn’t.” Niall mumbled because it was the truth and had he not seen that stupid message on Liam’s phone, he wouldn’t have been acting so weird either, it’s just… god dammit, what the fuck was even going on? “I just… feel weird.”

“Sick weird?” Liam immediately sounded alarmed of course, probably because he could tell that Niall wasn’t feeling weird because he was going into heat or anything because the older boy would have been the very first to know probably. 

“No, just tired is all.” The younger boy lied, letting his eyes fall closed for a moment and trying not to think about anything other than the fact that Liam smelled really good if he ignored the hint of chlorine and that he was doing a brilliant job at warming him up. Even if Niall would never hear the end of that hug probably, it was already too late now so he might as well have enjoyed it as long as somehow possible. Make it worth all the teasing. “I think the other two really like you.”

They were talking too quietly and standing too far away for the others to hear them, plus they were making a whole lot of noise in the pool anyways, but Liam still seemed to hesitate before he answered until Niall almost thought he hadn’t even heard him. Maybe it would have been better this way. “Does that bother you?”

“No.” Niall answered, maybe a bit too quickly, or way too much, all he knew was that he suddenly felt a whole lot warmer than before. Why would Liam ask a question like that? Had Niall given him the impression that it bothered him? “Why?”

“I don’t know, just asking.” It was obvious that there was more to it and that Liam simply decided not to say any of it out loud, which kinda really bothered Niall. Almost as much as it bothered him that everyone seemed to love Liam, which was stupid, because he should have been happy about it, he just… he didn’t want them to run around wearing Liam’s swimming trunks. Was that too much to ask? 

“I think I should probably take a shower.” Getting out of Liam’s arms was the very last thing Niall wanted right now, but he kinda got the feeling that the older boy would have never let him go if Niall hadn’t initiated it first. And he didn’t want to at all, but he kinda had to at some point.

“Okay.” Was all Liam said, not letting his arms sink though until Niall slowly took a step back a few seconds later, almost having to force himself. There was a smile on Liam’s face when they looked at each other and this time when Liam reached out for him, it wasn’t to ruffle Niall’s hair but rather to shortly touch his chin. “I can make some food while you’re upstairs.”

“You really don’t have to d-“

“I want to.” He shrugged and there really wasn’t anything to argue about, so Niall simply nodded before quickly walking into the house before the other two would question where he was going. 

Niall’s feet were already dry so he wasn’t leaving any wet spots inside, which was good because it would have made him feel quite terrible. Thanks to Liam he didn’t feel too cold anymore, but he still couldn’t wait until he could have a hot shower, also because it’d hopefully allow him to think more clearly for a few minutes at least.

The thing was, now that Liam had been hugging and holding him like that for god knows how long, it was even harder for Niall to keep a straight thought. He knew he wouldn’t be able to stop liking Liam the way he did, no matter what was going on with him in secret. It couldn’t be that bad, right? Maybe it was all just a big misunderstanding. It had to be.

Niall took ages in the shower on purpose, so when he came downstairs fully dressed once more, the others had gotten out of the pool as well and joined Liam in the kitchen. Obviously Louis threw the most intense look at Niall that the younger boy simply ignored though, as well as the conversation they had going on. 

“… did you go?” Harry asked, probably directed at Liam and Niall made sure not to brush the older boy as he walked past him to get to the fridge. “I’ve always wanted to do a semester abroad as well.”

“I went to Australia. But the process and the application and all that took literally ages. And in the end I only got in because someone else decided not to go last minute. But you’re in your second year, right? Like Niall?” Oh god, the way alone that he said Niall’s name gave Niall goosebumps. 

“Yeah… do you think it’s already too late thinking about it? But I don’t know if I still wanna go anyways… “ Because of Louis, Niall guessed, he couldn’t ever imagine Harry going on a semester abroad anyways, he had never even managed it, maybe he was just trying to do smalltalk. 

While Liam was busy explaining some things to Harry while cooking pasta, Niall was kinda forced to go and sit next to Louis because it was the only free space, and he immediately regretted it when his friend showed him his phone where he had written something on his notes. At least he had had the decency not to ask Niall out loud.

 

_are you and liam a thing?_

 

Niall made sure Louis saw it when he rolled his eyes before shaking his head, deciding not to type something as well because it would have become way too obvious. That still didn’t stop Louis from writing something else though and of course Niall was stupid enough to look at it again.

 

_do you want to be though?_

 

The thing was, Louis didn’t even look amused or as if he was making fun of Niall, more as if he was genuinely curious, but Niall still shook his head anyways before taking his own phone out so he could pretend to be busy. Was he being that obvious? That Louis already asked that question after he had seen them together for the shortest time? Also, if Louis had noticed it, how could Liam have not noticed it? 

Niall refused to look at any more stupid notes on Louis’ phone and instead went to help Liam in the end even though there wasn’t much to do and he was almost done anyways. It was alright, eating together and stuff, the conversations were light and not forced even if Niall was kinda lost in thoughts. The other two left after they had helped doing the dishes and Niall made a mental note of not checking his phone for a few hours because he knew what would be going on there and he really wasn’t in the mood to discuss any of it.

Liam asked him 10 more times if he really was alright and Niall told him yes each and every time until the older boy either believed him or simply gave up. The stupidest part of all of this was that Niall almost felt relieved that the other two were gone now because that meant they weren’t watching when Niall was lying in Liam’s bed later, trying to memorize his presentation while Liam was sitting next to him working on an assignment. It was kinda their thing, being together while not really doing anything, but silently enjoying the other’s company. Or Niall was at least.

Niall’s mother was thrilled when Niall told her that Harry and Louis had been over after she came home from work and it was actually a nice evening of the three of them watching TV until Liam’s dad came home. Niall tried not to let himself be weak again and inch closer to Liam, but he still did in the end and Liam let his arm fall around the back of the couch seemingly by accident so he could play with Niall’s hair.

When Niall got ready for bed, he didn’t ask Liam where he was going when he left the house because he knew the answer he would have gotten would have been a lie and he really didn’t wanna be lied to anymore. 

 

\---------------------

 

The clock on Liam’s phone told him it was 4:05 in the morning right before it went out of charge and Liam didn’t bother getting out of the car immediately after he had turned off the engine. He was so exhausted, he actually considered just sleeping on the backseat. He couldn’t though, it would have made everyone suspicious.

He forced himself to get out of the car a few minutes later, his body kinda aching but not too terribly, not as much as it sometimes did. There’d be bruises, but nothing major except the scratches on his elbows that he could easily brush off as something else, even if he knew Niall would immediately notice them because he always did.

Liam tried to be dead quiet getting into the house and walking up the stairs to his room so he could change his clothes at least because a shower would have only woken somebody up. He avoided looking into his mirror because there really was no use and really all Liam wanted was to just fall into bed and sleep for 10 days straight, but something stopped him. 

Despite everything that had happened in the past few hours, Liam hadn’t stopped worrying about the way Niall had been acting today, he hadn’t seemed upset about Liam hanging out with him and his friends, but something had been up, Liam just knew. He would have stayed if he could have, spent the rest of the night with Niall, make sure he was alright, but it hadn’t been his choice.

Niall just struck a nerve in Liam, for multiple reasons, and Liam knew that a lot of it could be explained simply because he was an Alpha and Niall an Omega, but it was more than just that. He knew Niall tried to be so subtle about wanting to be close to him and spending time with him, so Liam never brought it up because he knew it would have only scared the younger boy off. Niall was so touch starved, he would have taken any opportunity to cuddle with Liam, being a lot more obvious about it than he probably believed.

Maybe that was why Liam quietly closed his bedroom door as he left the room and instead half tip toed over to Niall’s.

It wasn’t only Niall who enjoyed the cuddles and the closeness and honestly, it was everything Liam wanted right now after what had happened, just cuddle Niall and go to sleep, because nothing sounded more comforting at this second.

He didn’t knock because he didn’t wanna wake the younger boy, even though Liam kinda had to anyways as he sat on the edge of Niall’s bed, the side he wasn’t lying on, slowly reaching out for his figure in the darkness until he could gently touch his shoulder and whisper. “Niall?”

“Hm?” The younger boy didn’t wake up, so Liam shook him very lightly, not just wanting to lie down with him without asking. 

“Ni? Are you awake?” Liam tried though he felt quite bad for it because it was in the middle of the night on a Tuesday. 

“Liam…?” Niall asked, but he still sounded half asleep, moving around a bit but it was really dark in the room.

“Can I… sleep here?” Liam finally asked, realizing that this was the first time he was the one coming to Niall’s room to sleep in his bed without anything happening beforehand.

“Yeah...” Was all the blonde mumbled into his pillow, but he did move as if he was trying to make space for Liam, so the older boy tried not to lift the blanket too much as he got underneath as well, feeling relieved when Niall immediately pressed back into him as Liam wrapped an arm around his waist to pull him closer against his chest. “Where’ve you been?”

“Just out with friends.” Liam whispered back and it wasn’t really a lie after all, but he still felt bad as he pressed his lips against the back of Niall’s head in front of him, closing his eyes. 

“Are you hurt?” When Niall asked that question, Liam felt himself tensing up, afraid the younger boy knew more than he was letting on, but he had only just woken up and it was probably because it was literally 4 in the morning. 

“No… I’m sorry for waking you, just go back to sleep, yeah?” Chances were Niall was just really sleepy, right? It probably didn’t mean anything at all.

“’kay… “ Though Liam had tightened his arm, he loosened it a bit when he felt the younger boy move, afraid he might roll out of his arms, but instead he simply turned around, as if he wanted to be closer to Liam and the older boy felt himself smiling, even more so when Niall mumbled something he would have never said out loud. “Love you...”

“Love you too, Nialler. Sleep tight.” Liam briefly brushed his lips against the younger’s forehead, well aware that Niall would probably not recall any of this in the morning anyways, but it was still the truth. And if he did remember, he wouldn’t have brought it up without blushing like hell, Liam knew him way too good by now.

 

\---------------------

 

When Niall woke up because his alarm was going off, it took him a while to blindly reach his phone in order to check the time and then hit snooze when he realized he still had time anyways. Of course Niall immediately felt the arm around his waist and he also immediately knew that it was Liam behind him, that he had come to Niall sometime in the middle of the night, asking to sleep in his bed. Which really wasn’t exactly something that had ever happened before.

Niall didn’t really recall their conversation 100%, but it also didn’t matter that much because he knew that something had happened last night. Liam hadn’t come home before one in the morning because that was around the time Niall had given up on trying to stay awake. He also knew that Liam looked kinda rough, as far as Niall could tell from the little light that was coming in through his window, making the bruise on Liam’s cheekbone clearly visible even though it seemed to be small.

He had gotten into a fight, why or with who, Niall had no clue, but the fact that Liam had come to sleep here afterwards, to hold Niall in his arms and cuddle with him, made the younger boy completely soft inside. Somehow he had never seen Liam like that, as the one who maybe needed a cuddle once a while as well, didn’t wanna sleep alone. Even now when he was still deep asleep and though Niall had seen him like this a few times before, he suddenly looked somehow vulnerable.

Maybe that was why Niall decided not to wake Liam and instead got dressed and ready as quietly as possible once he had managed to get out of the older’s warm embrace. Because Niall didn’t know if Liam had anywhere to be though, he did come back to his bed once he was ready to go, only having moved the curtain a tiny little, but Liam hadn’t even moved a centimeter. When had he gotten home last night?

“Liam?” Niall tried softly while sitting on the edge of the bed, the irony of how this situation had gotten reversed almost feeling a little funny to him. But it wasn’t really, was it? “Can you wake up for a second?”

“Hm?” Was all Liam made before turning fully onto his back, rubbing his eyes though he barely blinked them open afterwards.

“Hi… “ The younger boy tried, feeling kinda stupid but at the same time also worried. Liam really did not look all too good. “It’s 8.15, um… I didn’t know when you had to get up, so… “

“Hmm… I’m skipping today.” Liam voice sounded a bit rough, so he cleared his throat right before having to yawn and Niall kinda wanted to tuck him in a bit more, but then he didn’t. 

“Are you okay?” Genuinely, because he looked like he hadn’t slept in 10 years or something.

“Yeah… just tired.” The older boy shrugged a bit, honestly looking as if he might fall back asleep again any second. “Take my car to uni if you want.”

“I-I… I don’t know if-“

“You’ll be fine, you’ve driven it before. The keys are by the door, just take them.” Liam sounded very serious about this and Niall honestly didn’t know what to say, so he just looked down at him for a moment before deciding to not be a coward just this one time and lean down to awkwardly hug the older boy, gently, because he didn’t know if he felt sore or anything.

“Can we talk when I get home from uni?” Niall just had to ask, he couldn’t ignore this any longer, he needed to know what was up with Liam or he was going to go insane.

Liam took a moment to answer, his arms loosely wrapped around Niall. “Okay.” 

That was a beginning at least, right? Even if they were hours away from actually talking about it, but Niall was so hopeful that he almost didn’t blush when he lightly pressed his lips against Liam’s cheek before sitting back up. “Okay… I should probably go, uh, I’m already late.”

“Yeah… “ The older boy nodded slowly, suddenly reaching out to hold Niall’s hand for just a second to keep him from getting up, half a smile on his face. “Good luck with your presentation.”

“I- thanks.” It almost made Niall laugh, because that stupid presentation was really the very last thing on his mind right now. 

He squeezed Liam’s hand back before getting up and collecting his bag from the floor and walking out of his room before he would have any more time to change his mind. If it hadn’t been for that presentation actually, Niall might have skipped as well, so maybe it did bother him a little bit. The fact though that he was going to uni knowing Liam was still asleep in his bed kinda waiting for him… it wasn’t all too off putting.

Niall knew his mother was still at home, so he made sure to close his bedroom door before going downstairs and deciding to take Liam’s keys after a moment of hesitation. He would have come late otherwise and also… it had sounded like Liam really wanted him to take his car, so like… why not? Niall could drive, he’d be fine, and also, it meant he’d be home much quicker afterwards. 

Somehow it felt useless that Niall had even come to uni because he knew there was no fucking way he’d even be able to concentrate after he had somehow managed to get his presentation over with, and after his third class, he suddenly realized that he actually had a lot more things to worries about other than where Liam had been last night. 

“About yesterday… “ Louis started while they were all sitting outside and it kinda hit Niall out of nowhere because he had genuinely completely forgotten any of that had ever happened. “Thanks for inviting us, it was really cool.”

“Yeah, no problem.” Niall answered quickly, though he was already sensing more was to come.

“You and Liam seem really close.” The other boy continued and Niall saw Harry rolling his eyes from the corners of his, so he already knew that it must have been something the other two had discussed after leaving the house last night. 

“I mean… we live together and we see each other every single day.” Shrugging, Niall attempted to just brush it off because he really didn’t wanna discuss it right now. Louis and Harry finding out that Niall indeed had feelings for Liam was the very last thing he needed right now. “He’s like a brother.”

“Right, makes sense, yeah. I was just wondering, is all, ‘cos I wasn’t really expecting him to hug you like that and stuff.” Louis pretended as if he didn’t even care all that much, but Niall could just tell that that wasn’t true. 

“Anyways” Harry suddenly cut in, probably throwing a look at Louis that Niall hadn’t been supposed to see, but it was whatever really, he was just grateful that somebody was changing the topic. “I was thinking maybe we could all do something on the weekend, something that doesn’t involve sitting around and playing video games for once.”

“We weren’t playing video games yesterday.” Louis threw in, which was true, but they had still just been sitting around. 

“I know, babe, but I meant like… I don’t know, we could drive somewhere and go for a hike or something.” Sounded alright, actually, Niall hadn’t expected this, but before he agreed, he suddenly remembered something that made him blush quite a bit.

“We can, I just… I don’t know if I… on the weekend, I mean, I might… I might, like, go into… you know.” It felt weird discussing it with the others, so Niall kinda stumbled over his words, but luckily, no one really had time to react.

“Oh. Okay, that’s fine, just let us know if-“

“Hi, Niall.” Harry was interrupted by Zayn, who had literally come out of nowhere, making Niall flinch quite a bit. “Um, can we talk for a second?”

“Oh, uh, yeah, sure… “ Niall didn’t really know what this was about, but it wasn’t all too hard to guess. 

Zayn took a step back, signaling that he wanted to talk to Niall alone, so the younger boy got up, leaving his stuff with Harry and Louis, who seemed more confused than ever. Which made sense because they had no idea who Zayn even was.

Niall followed Zayn just around the corner of the building, almost bumping into him when he promptly stopped and turned around to face him once more. “Sorry, uh… what’s up?“

“Do you by any chance know where Liam is?” The fact that he had led Niall away from his friends to ask that combined with the face he was making and the intensity he asked the question with… it somehow made Niall hesitant about answering. He didn’t know Zayn, and considering all the weird shit he and Liam seemed to be involved in, how would Niall know if he could trust him?

“Why?” He asked instead of telling Zayn, because what if somebody wanted to hurt Liam?

“He’s not answering my messages, his phone is turned off, but I saw his car on the parking lot and… I just wanna know if he’s alright, that’s all.” Zayn was being really careful about how he worded things, probably afraid he might tell Niall something he wasn’t supposed to know. Honestly, Niall was done playing these games.

“Why wouldn’t he be alright?” It wasn’t fair to blame Zayn for any of this, but maybe Niall was doing exactly that unconsciously, making it extra for the other boy. For all Niall knew, Zayn could have been the one making Liam do whatever he was doing, he had sent him that message about the money after all, hadn’t he?

“Look… I know you know something, Niall, and I don’t know how much, but… I just wanna know if Liam’s alright. But I assume since you’re not freaking out and probably drove his car here that he’s at home sleeping, that’s really all I wanted to know. He’s my friend.” God dammit, why couldn’t he just fucking tell Niall the truth?

“Then why are you letting him get hurt?” Niall just asked straight out, but instead of shocking Zayn, it only made him sigh as he rubbed his hands across his face. 

“I tried not to, whether you believe me or not. You should talk to Liam about this.” He would, in a few hours, but the suspense was killing Niall. Almost as much as what Zayn said next after hesitating quite a bit. “He’s terrified he might drag you into something, it’s all he cares about lately. If he tells you what’s up… try not to freak out on him too much, you mean a lot to him and he needs you.”

“I… why are you saying that?” Niall was completely shocked by what Zayn had just said, because… what the hell?! 

“Liam will literally kill me if he finds out I even said anything to you today at all, so… we better leave it at that. Just… take care, okay? And maybe give Liam a hug when you get home, he needs it sometimes, even when he’s pretending to be all tough.” And then Zayn simply walked away, completely ignoring the fact that Niall had already opened his mouth and just… what was even going on right now?

Niall just stood there for a moment even after Zayn had left, trying to make sense of any of this. So Zayn had literally confirmed that something kinda dangerous was going on with Liam and it had kinda sounded as if he wanted to tell Niall, but he knew it would have upset Liam. Was he hoping Niall could talk to Liam or something? But how was he gonna do that if Liam simply refused to tell him the truth?

Walking back to the others, Niall made sure he had his face under control beforehand and a story in his head to tell them. He really didn’t wanna start lying again, but like, HE was being lied to as well, so there was no need to drag more people into this mess of a situation, was there?

“Everything okay?” Louis questioned once Niall had sat down again, simply nodding. “Who even was that?”

“Just one of Liam’s friends. He asked where Liam was because he’s home sick.” It had come out so smoothly that none of the others questioned it, even if it had still been slightly obvious for Zayn to lead Niall away from his friends, but they stopped talking about it, instead moving on to discuss something else. Niall tried his best to follow the conversation and not be too distracted, but it was kinda hard.

 

\----------------------

 

It was around 2 pm by the time Niall got home, having skipped his last class because why not? No one was there to comment on him having driven Liam’s car and actually, Niall kinda expected Liam to not be home either because it was suspiciously quiet. 

Still, his heart was beating quite unsteadily as he walked upstairs, almost knocking on Liam’s door before deciding to go into his own room instead though he was pretty sure that no one would be in there. Turned out Niall had been very wrong.

In fact, Liam was still sleeping soundly in Niall’s bed, the curtains not fully pulled back, but there was still enough light to see clearly, which didn’t seem to bother Liam in any way though. He must have been so exhausted last night to still be asleep, because it wasn’t like him at all, also the skipping and stuff, it kinda freaked Niall out a little.

He tried to be as quiet as possible while moving around his room, throwing a few too many glances at Liam while doing so, but it’s not like anybody would ever know, right? Somehow, Niall couldn’t help but be relieved that at least Liam had been home in his bed the whole time, where nothing could have happened to him, even if he already seemed to have enough bruises from last night. 

Niall waited for a little bit before going downstairs again to have a snack and then simply sitting at his desk doing stuff on his laptop, just things that didn’t require him to make too much noise. Sure, he could have gone to a different room, but he actually really didn’t want to do that.

Half an hour had passed by the time Liam started moving and Niall was maybe a bit too quick to spin around in his chair and take out his headphones, not being able to resist. “Liam?”

The older boy had had his back turned towards Niall, but he did turn onto his back now, not answering before rubbing his eyes with his knuckles, taking a deep breath. “How late is it?”

“Like, 2.30 in the afternoon.” Niall told him, keeping a close eye on him.

“Seriously?” Liam sounded a bit shocked when he let his arm fall behind his head, not making any attempts to sit up though, instead simply staring at the ceiling while clearly struggling to keep his eyes open. “Fuck.”

For a moment, there was silence between them and Niall tried to resist the urge to get up and lie down next to Liam, suddenly remembering what Zayn had told him, so he simply gave in. Niall walked around the bed to “his” side, trying not to get too hyped about the fact that Liam immediately lifted the blanket for him to get underneath. They weren’t exactly cuddling, but Niall turned onto his side so he was staring at Liam’s profile, very slowly reaching out though his heart was bumping like crazy, his fingers only brushing the bruise on Liam’s cheekbone, but it was enough to make him flinch. “Where were you last night?”

“I was with some friends… “ Here they went again with the lies, or so Niall had thought for a moment. “And other people.”

“Who?” Niall didn’t ask whether Zayn had been there, because he already knew anyways. 

Liam took his time to answer, he was probably still tired as well so Niall decided to cut him some slack, having dropped his hand again by now but not looking away from the older’s face. “Are you gonna believe me when I tell you it’s nothing you have to worry about?”

“I’m already worrying since weeks.” Niall told him honestly, feeling his face getting hot when Liam turned his head so he could look at him. “Since I picked you up from the hospital.”

“I’m sorry.” He did sound like he was, but also, he didn’t seem too keen on actually telling Niall the truth and since it was already eating Niall alive from feeling so guilty, he just decided to blurt out with it.

“Yesterday, when I was in the garden with Louis and Harry and you came out and sat on my chair, I… your phone slipped out of your pocket and I saw the text message about the 300 pounds by accident. I know it’s none of my business, I promise it wasn’t on purpose, but I can’t stop thinking about it.” There it was.

Liam’s eyes grew bigger for a moment and Niall was kinda afraid he’d get mad because he surely had every reason to, but he didn’t at all actually. “Well, now I know why you were acting a bit off all day.”

“Yeah… I’m sorry. I just… every time I ask you about it you tell me something that sounds logical and I brush it off and then… and then something else happens and then we had that party and this weird guy was talking about you beating someone up and-“

“Wait, wait. That’s what he said to you?” Right, Liam didn’t even know about that, did he?

“I mean… he said that, uh, that you’re trying to keep me from meeting certain people and that… that you’d probably beat him up if he told me anything else because, uh, because he said that… that you’re quite good at that.” Niall felt stupid for having brought this up now, but if they were for once being honest about this situation, then he felt like he needed to say that as well. 

“Jesus… “ Liam swallowed, looking away from Niall for a moment, clearly having been taken off guard. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I mean… it’s none of my business, is it? I was just worried, but I didn’t think you’d wanna talk about it because you never do. It’s just… you look really rough.” To put it the nicest way possible, Niall just didn’t know what else to say anymore, he really just wanted to hug Liam, but he wasn’t sure if the other boy would have wanted that right now. “If you don’t wanna tell me there’s nothing I can do about it, I’m just worried.” 

“It’s not that I don’t _want_ to tell you, I just know that it wouldn’t be smart and that it wouldn’t make you worry any less.” That certainly wasn’t comforting in any way whatsoever. 

“But, is it, um… whatever you’re doing, is it like… illegal?” Niall just HAD to know this and he wasn’t sure how he would react if Liam told him that yes, he had indeed robbed somebody or hurt them or… whatever else. 

“I mean… “ Liam started, clearly not knowing how to continue, but it was actually already more than Niall had feared. 

“Where did you get the money from?” Maybe this was easier to answer, or maybe not, judging by the face Liam was pulling, sighing a bit before looking into Niall’s eyes again.

“It was payment.” Okay, maybe better than a robbery, Niall hadn’t decided yet. 

“What are you getting paid for?” What kinda job required him to get hurt and was maybe illegal? Drugs?! “I thought… I thought you get enough money from the modelling and that you d-“

“Niall, I don’t do this for the money. I don’t wanna do it at all anymore.” Oh.

“Then… then why don’t you stop?” Honestly, Niall knew the answer to that question already and it made him feel sick to his stomach. All this was a much bigger and dangerous mess than he would have ever dared to imagine. 

“Because I can’t. I went away to study abroad to get away from all this and as soon as I was back… I can’t just quit, it’s not like that, they would never let me. If I did I don’t know what would happen, they know where I live, my car, my dad, my sisters….” Wait, what?!

“Why don’t you go to the police?” Niall had never been this freaked out, ever, this was slowly turning into something a lot worse than he had thought. 

“I can’t… it’s not like I had no part in it.” Liam answered slowly, keeping a close eye on Niall, probably afraid of his reaction.

“Did you… did you kill somebody?” Maybe not the most sensible thing to ask, but it suddenly seemed really appropriate anyways. Oh god, Niall was going to get sick. 

“No, I didn’t kill anybody, it’s not like that, I… “ When Liam sat up all of a sudden after sighing deeply, Niall flinched a bit but he remained lying down, just looking up at the older boy even though he was now staring at the wall again. “I got into boxing when I was really young, I was kinda good at it and some guy who came to the studio sometimes noticed me one day. I was maybe… 16, and he asked me if I wanted to make some pocket money. I said yes. He would train me and I’d go to fights and win medals and shit like that and then a year later or so… he asked if I wanted to make even more money. And I said yes again because I was young and an idiot and I thought it was a real chance.”

“What… what does he make you do?” Niall had a few hundred ideas in mind and he barely dared to even whisper when Liam sighed again.

“He has me fight people so he can place money bets on me and other guys he trained… it’s some sort of entertainment for people who have too much money, it’s like a whole community. At first I kinda enjoyed it, because of how much money I made, but… I’ve wanted to quit multiple times, the first time I brought it up he just yelled around, the second he almost got me kicked out of uni, and the third… he said he’d wait for my dad after work and do god knows what. I can’t quit, he’d hurt me or the people I care about, he’d ruin my life.” Lam shrugged when he was done, not looking at Niall and the younger boy actually needed a second to let all of this sink in because what the fuck?!

“… what?! Does your dad know about this? You really need to go to the police or something, this guy is forcing you into this, it’s not your fault and-“

“Niall, hey.” Liam put his hand on Niall’s arm after he had sat up, not knowing what to think anymore, his mouth still half open. “I think I made it sound a bit more extreme than it is, I’m sorry.”

“Um, are you sure?” Niall was freaked out as hell because this truly sounded like a damn crime show or something.

“Yes. Look, my dad knows about it, I mean, not anymore because he thinks I quit before I went to Australia and he also doesn’t really know that it was kinda… illegal, but it’s not like… it’s more like a boxing competition, it’s not like I’m getting seriously injured or anything.” Okay, why did Liam sound so nervous while telling Niall that?

“Because you’re not the one who loses.” Otherwise he wouldn’t have gotten any payment, right?

“I mean… not always.” Liam finally said after hesitating a bit, his hand still resting on Niall’s arm. 

“You needed stitches that time I picked you up from the hospital and-“

“I know, I know, but I’ve never gotten seriously injured and that could have happened even during normal training.” Okay, why was he trying to calm Niall down now when he had literally just told him that some guy was forcing him to illegally fight other people for money?!

“Li… “ Niall started, slowly shaking his head, his throat feeling kinda tight. “You don’t need to play it down now, it still sounds bad enough and if you want out… then there’s gotta be a reason for that. And… you’ve got a bruise in the middle of your face and you came home so late that you couldn’t even go to uni.”

“I know… “ The older boy took a deep sigh, looking away from Niall once more and Niall felt really bad for him, like, there was absolutely nothing he could have done to help, nothing at all, and it was driving him insane. “Please don’t tell anybody about it. I’m sorry I lied about all this, I just… I didn’t wanna drag you into this. This guy… my boss, he doesn’t know about you and I really wanna keep it that way.”

“I would never tell anybody, just… what would he do if he found out about me?” Oh god, did Niall even wanna know?

“Nothing, okay? Don’t worry, I just wanna be on the safe side, that’s all. Everything is okay, I’m okay, nothing will happen, I was away for a really long time and my boss actually didn’t throw a fuss about it, so that’s a good thing. He found somebody better anyways, so I don’t even do this very often anymore.” At least that part was true, but Liam was probably well aware of how contradictory everything he had just said was to whatever had happened, but honestly, there was really no need for Niall to keep on pushing.

He knew why Liam had been trying to keep him from meeting certain people, for example that guy at the party, because they were all involved in this as well. And the reason he didn’t want his boss to find out about Niall was because he had also threatened to wait for Liam’s dad after his work and… fuck, if it wasn’t all that bad, why did Liam wanna quit? There was really only one answer to that question. 

It was probably even worse than just bad and there was nothing any of them could have done. 

Not knowing what else to say, Niall suddenly remembered his conversation with Zayn at uni before and before he could have changed his mind again, he simply wrapped his arms around Liam , holding him tightly, a little bit because he needed it himself, but also because he was hoping it made the other boy feel better. 

Liam didn’t hesitate to hug Niall back, as far as that was possible while they were both sitting on the bed. Niall felt so fucking stupid now for making Liam tell him and for being so damn nosey and… he was relieved that the other boy wasn’t like, robbing people or something, but he was even more worried now than he had been before. Also, he felt really helpless now and it was weird that Liam, the one who Niall had been 100% convinced had his life completely together, was keeping a huge ass secret like that. And if HE couldn’t find a way out of this situation, then who could have, really?

“I’m sorry for making you tell me… “ Niall mumbled after a while of just holding onto Liam, keeping his head on Liam’s shoulder and slowly breathing him in in order to calm himself. “And that I can’t do anything to help.”

“Ni, you don’t have to help me and I’m actually glad I told you… I know I can trust you and I feel really bad about all the times I lied about it, I really didn’t mean to… I just wanted to keep you safe. And I still do, I’d never let anything happen to you, I promise.” Kinda comforting, but also kinda not because the reason why Liam was even saying stuff like that was terrifying. Still didn’t keep Niall from holding on tighter though. “How was your presentation?”

“What?” Niall honestly couldn’t believe that Liam was changing the topic NOW, and to something like this and just… fuck, he wasn’t even sure if it had already fully sunk in yet. “Oh, um, it was good, I think. Not THAT good, but also not a fail, so… that’s good for me. Maybe next time I should practice a bit more.”

“We can practice together next time.” Of course Liam would say something like this, it was so much like him and it almost made Niall wanna cry because Liam was just so sweet and kind and… fuck, Niall was so worried about him, but he had no idea how to help. “Niall?”

“Yeah?” Honestly, Niall had no idea what to expect now, but surely not what Liam said next.

“You’re going into heat, aren’t you?” Well, fuck.

“How can you always tell before me?” Honestly, Niall had no idea whether Liam was right or not, but he probably was. Also, probably the worst timing ever.

“Because I can smell it, but only barely. Are you okay?” Liam didn’t let go and he also didn’t make any attempts to do so, so Niall didn’t either. 

“Yeah, ‘m good… for now.” Well, probably for the next few hours or the next day and funnily enough, it was actually kinda good timing for Harry’s plans on the weekend. Even if Niall actually wasn’t sure anymore if he really wanted to go hiking or not. “You?”

“Me too.” That was probably not the truth, but Liam made it sound like it anyways, just like always, and though Niall actually felt kinda terrible right now, it was a little comforting to be wrapped into Liam’s arms while knowing that at least the older boy trusted him enough to have told him the whole truth. Hopefully.

They held onto each other for a little while longer and when they pulled apart, Liam of course had to ruffle Niall’s hair with a laugh, as if everything in the world was completely alright when it wasn’t at all. He went to shower afterwards so Niall made his way downstairs after thinking about it for a moment, deciding that he was going to start attempting to make some food because Liam was surely hungry and he had learned a thing or two from him regarding cooking. 

“I’d never thought I’d actually see you using any of that.” Liam joked when he came downstairs a few minutes later, looking a lot more like himself again, all clean and in different clothes, the usual smile on his face. It was so weird to just be going back to normal every day life after this conversation, but talking about it wouldn’t have changed anything, Liam had been in this mess for at least 5 years, it was probably normal to him. “Smells good though.”

“I won’t be mad if you still help me though.” Niall confessed after almost burning himself on the stove and the older boy easily took the spoon from him. “Um, I drove your car to uni by the way, and back of course, in case you don’t remember telling me to take it this morning.”

“I do remember, I’m glad you decided to drive it, that bus takes ages, doesn’t it?” Somehow, Liam seemed a bit too enthusiastic and motivated right now, but Niall wasn’t really questioning it because he knew what it was about anyways.

“Yeah… uh, Zayn asked me where you are and if you’re alright. I said you’re at home.” Well, Niall hadn’t really said that, but he just wanted to tell Liam about this conversation somehow, even if it made his smile disappear for a second. “I didn’t know if… if I was allowed to tell him or not.”

“No, it’s fine, you can tell Zayn that stuff, he was just… worried, I assume.” Liam shrugged then, clearly not wanting to talk about it any longer and Niall felt bad for having brought it up again, he just didn’t wanna keep things from Liam regarding this whole… thing. Not anymore. “It’s not like anything bad is gonna happen, Ni, nothing will change. I’d just rather be careful about who knows about this stuff, but… it’s not like I have enemies or something. It’s all good.”

“Okay.” Niall nodded a bit to himself, hating the feeling of tension between them now, so he quickly made sure to change that. “Can you taste it? I’m not sure I added enough spices… “

So they went back to cooking and talking about that and about the hiking trip Harry had planned this weekend, which Liam actually found hilarious for some reason. Niall actually asked him if he wanted to come as well, but Liam declined saying he had another model job and needed to prepare for a test next week, which got Niall kinda sad even though that was ridiculous. 

Liam kinda made up for it a moment later though when they were done eating and just remained sitting, talking. “You know… I was gonna ask you something, actually.”

“Okay?” Niall was a bit nervous even if it was kinda clear that it wasn’t anything bad, but still. 

“Because we’ve got a few days off of uni in two weeks… I was thinking about going to visit my mom in London and spend some time with my sisters, do you wanna come?” Wait…

“Ummm… I don’t wanna like… take away your time with your family and I’m sure they probably don’t want some stranger staying with them, I-“

“You’re not a stranger at all, they know about you. And I’m not staying with them, my dad has an apartment in London that he uses when he has meetings and stuff, we can stay there. And we wouldn’t spend all day every day with my family, we can also do other stuff alone. My sisters really wanna meet you though.” When Liam said it like that, with that stupidly gorgeous smile on his face, it was literally impossible for Niall to resist.

“Oh… I… If you want me to come… “ He shrugged a bit, not wanting to sound too eager even though he kinda was. Fuck, he knew this wasn’t like, a vacation together or some shit, but it sure as hell felt like it.

“Of course I want you to come, Nialler, I asked you, didn’t I? So is that a yes?” Liam sounded pretty excited and he seemed happy when Niall agreed, getting up to do the dishes and the younger boy really wondered how such an awful night and day could have turned into something so positive all of a sudden.

Obviously the problem wasn’t solved and they were just playing pretend, but what was Niall supposed to do now? He already felt extra emotional because he was about to go into heat and it didn’t exactly make things better to keep on thinking and worrying about them, because clearly, Liam was living just fine with the way things were. For now at least, but Niall really didn’t wanna think of the possible consequences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for all the comments & kudos on the last chapter guys <333
> 
> i really hope you enjoyed this one as well! let me know if you want & i hope youre all having a nice summer so far :)


	8. Chapter 8

Niall waited for his heat to come because Liam had pointed out his smell, but it never came, so he kinda agreed when Harry wanted to go hiking on Saturday because he had to work on Sunday anyways. Maybe it was because Niall was so distracted the whole entire time thinking about Liam and their conversation and that they were going away together and also, it was only his second heat, it made sense that it wasn’t on time and a little late.

Thing was, nothing really changed now that Liam had told him the truth, in fact, he might have been trying a little too hard talking about other stuff, which was fine though because Niall just enjoyed spending time with him no matter what they were doing. Also, because Liam had slept for so long on Wednesday, he convinced Niall to stay awake with him until 2 in the morning playing video games and Niall fell asleep at some point and was tired all day on Thursday. Had it been worth it though? Absolutely. 

Liam had a modelling job on Saturday, so Niall barely saw him before he left and Harry came over to pick Niall up so they could go hiking. Or go on a walk more like, because when he stopped the car on some parking lot in the middle of nowhere, Niall wasn’t so sure about this anymore. If he had ever been, to be fair. 

“Did you google this before?” Niall felt a bit tired from the drive as he got out of the car, they had been driving for an hour maybe, but it had felt like a whole lot longer. Maybe because Louis had been sitting in the passenger seat putting on the worst songs ever. 

“’course I did, I even showed Louis and he approved.” Harry had actually brought a backpack and Niall was really hoping he had put more than one water bottle in there, because he kinda hadn’t brought anything himself. 

“Hm, what?” Louis seemed confused when he looked up from his phone, also not really looking like he was prepared to go on a hike, so Niall felt a bit better about his own outfit choices. Which consisted of his normal every day clothes pretty much, because how exhausting could this get, right? “You didn’t show me anything.”

“Uh, last night?” Right, if they were gonna start an argument now then Niall would just wait in the car.

“I don’t remember, it was really late. But hey, I’m sure it’ll be fine, I trust you, babe.” He was clearly trying to talk himself out of not paying attention now and Niall saw Harry rolling his eyes as he locked the car, but he decided not to get involved. It was kinda warm outside but Niall probably shouldn’t have felt as hot as he did.

Of course he knew it was because he was about to go into heat, but he had decided that it would probably not happen before tomorrow anyways, and even if it did… it wasn’t the end of the world. Harry and Louis were both Betas, they wouldn’t have even noticed it and Niall would be fine if he was distracted. Which it looked like he would be. 

“Did you charge your phone?” Okay, should Niall be concerned that Harry was asking him this?

“I’m on… 90%. Why?” Oh god, he didn’t know the way, did he?

“Just asking, in case mine runs out, Louis’ is about to die because he refuses to buy a new charging cable. But don’t worry, I know the way, I just wanted to make sure.” Harry sounded very positive about this and they were just walking across the parking lot, so Niall didn’t wanna judge too soon, but he made a mental note of trying to remember their surroundings as good as somehow possible so they’d at least find back to the car. 

“My cable is working just fine.” Louis mumbled from a few steps behind because he was still busy looking something up on his phone and Niall was internally praying it wasn’t some more songs that they could listen to on their way back home.

However Harry had chosen their route, it didn’t seem to be a very popular one, but Niall was relieved to find that it only went straight ahead at first, through a small forest, that started to grow thicker as they kept going, but he wasn’t unhappy about being in the shadow because he felt way too hot anyways. 

It was nice, not exhausting or anything, and Niall actually felt kinda proud of himself for not having thrown a fit about not wanting to walk for that long. Then again, he had purposely not asked how long this was going to take, even though Liam had asked him last night, but he wouldn’t even be home all day either so it was like whatever. Also kinda sad that Niall felt more okay doing this because he knew he wouldn’t have been able to pester Liam instead anyways. 

“Do you really wanna do a semester abroad?” Niall asked Harry after they had been walking for around an hour or so and he had given up on trying to remember the way because they had only been walking in one direction anyways. “Or did you just say that to have something to talk about?”

“I mean… I’ve been thinking about it, but I don’t think I’d really do it. I did kinda say it to have something to talk about.” Harry admitted, which made Louis snort. “It’s just… you were upstairs showering and Liam is kinda…. intimidating. I mean, I’ve never talked to him before and Louis hasn’t either expect for maybe two sentences.”

“Intimidating?” That word really confused Niall in relation to Liam, but then again, if he thought back to when he had first met Liam… maybe a little. Then again, he had behaved like a brat and he had never had trouble talking to Liam when they had been alone.

“Yeah, he’s really nice and all, but when you look at him with all the tattoos… and he didn’t have a shirt on or anything. But I’m sure it’s different for you because you spend so much time together.” It almost sounded as if Harry was afraid of making Niall mad or something, which was ridiculous because actually, Niall wasn’t too unhappy hearing that the others hadn’t been sure what to talk to Liam about. “Like, not to stereotype him because of the tattoos or whatever, I just mean he’s also 3 years older than me and stuff, he looks like he really got his life together.”

“And he’s an Alpha.” Louis threw in, which was really the only moment where Niall rolled his eyes. “You’ve had the very same worries before you met him, Nialler, don’t roll your eyes. It does show that he’s an Alpha, but I get it that it’s different for you being an Omega and all.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Of course Niall knew what that was supposed to mean but he wasn’t sure if he wanted to talk about it.

“It makes sense that you’re not intimidated by it because you’re kinda supposed to feel drawn to Alphas, right? And you snogged him too.” Right.

“We really don’t have to talk about that again.” Or about whoever Niall was attracted to or wasn’t attracted to. 

“We’re not, just saying. Either way, it’s nice you get along so well, right? Because of how worried you were in the beginning and all.” Louis made it sound as if he was happy for Niall, and maybe he was, but more than that he clearly only wanted to get more information out of him. Niall got that the others were curious and he would have probably told them the truth had he not felt so damn hopeless just thinking about how no matter how much he liked Liam, it’d never be mutual. “Niall thought Liam would be so mad he’s moving in that he’d try to kill him.”

“Seriously?” Harry let out a laugh and Niall felt his cheeks getting a bit hotter. At least Louis hadn’t said that in front of Liam a few days ago.

“It was a joke, okay? That’d just be ridiculous.” Or maybe not considering Niall had genuinely been worried that Liam might tell him he had killed someone even if he now realized how stupid that thought had been. Not like what Liam was really doing was making him feel any better though. “Why are we always talking about Liam?”

“You brought it up.” True. “But I just have one more question.”

“What if I don’t wanna answer one more question?” Maybe Niall was a little curious because he was a hypocrite, but he just KNEW it wouldn’t end well for him. And he had nowhere to go because they were in the middle of nowhere surrounded by trees and occasional fields and honestly, Niall was kinda wondering when they’d turn around or how they’d get back. 

“You don’t have to.” Obviously, but Niall’s reaction would still give Louis an answer, wouldn’t it? “I was just wondering if… you know, maybe, if you’re kinda, like… if you like Liam. I mean, not as a brother or a friend.”

Of course he would ask this, but at least not in a joking way and to be completely fair, they had talked about crushes and shit all their lives and usually they had also always told each other, but that had kinda stopped with Harry coming along and now Liam. Also, how could anyone not have already realized that Niall was hopelessly in love with Liam anyways? Except Liam himself.

“Does it matter?” Niall finally asked after some hesitation, trying not to immediately freak out again or get pissed off, because they were his best friends after all. “He introduces me to people as his little brother, so… “

“Oh.” Was all Louis said to that, maybe regretting the fact that he had asked now, but probably not. “Does that… bother you?”

“I mean… I don’t know. If that’s how he sees me.” Niall shrugged because this conversation wasn’t really helping him in any way whatsoever. 

“But, Ni, if you want more from him then you gotta show him.” Okay, what the fuck? “Maybe he thinks you just see him as your brother as well and he doesn’t wanna make it weird. What do you guys do together? Like, you hang out a lot, right?”

“We don’t do a lot of stuff, we just watch TV together or like, study in the same room… he took me to that photoshoot because he said it’s boring going alone. And we make food together but it’s like… a lot more convenient when we live in the same house.” Well, Niall had kinda left out a few things, but he wasn’t quite sure if he wanted to say them out loud. 

“So the way he was hugging you when we were there, that was unusual?” Louis had been bound to come back to that but just for once, Niall didn’t actually care. 

“Not really.” They had hugged before and a whole lot more than that, but if Niall told Louis that… he’d just think it was confirmation that Liam liked him back because he had no idea what it was really like when they were lying in bed together. Anything but romantic. 

“So you’re like… physical?” The way Louis said it almost made Niall wanna push him, but he didn’t do anything, just kept on walking, wondering what Harry was thinking because he was being so quiet.

“I mean… “ Should Niall have just said it? Like, why would it even matter? “Sometimes we sleep in the same bed.”

“Wh-“

“BUT, it’s not like that, okay? I mean, yes, sometimes… sometimes we like… cuddle, but it’s like, completely platonic and stuff. He has two younger half sisters, they’e 5 and 7, I don’t know if you guys knew, but anyways, he’s used to being the older brother and I really do think he sees me as much younger than I am and like… a little brother. It feels like it anyways. So we really don’t have to discuss this or anything, there’s no use. And it’s fine, I’m fine with it.” At least he was trying hard to be.

“He knows how old you are Niall, he’s not an idiot, and sorry if I say this, but if you were indeed brothers with that age gap and you’d sleep in the same bed to cuddle then I’d call the police.” Okay, could Louis maybe not try to make light of Niall’s pain?! “Pretty sure he also doesn’t regularly sleep in bed with his sisters, because that would also be kinda w-“

“He doesn’t, I didn’t mean it like that, I just meant he’s good at being an older brother, okay? That’s all I meant. And… I think he’s also doing it because I’m an Omega.” And because he thought Niall wanted it and Liam didn’t care so he basically just did him the favor. At least that was Niall’s explanation for it all, the only one that made actual sense.

“But because you’re an Omega it makes it even weirder that he would just do this stuff for fun. I mean, he’s an Alpha, he probably feels protective of you and stuff for that reason, not because he sees you as a little brother.” Well, what Louis was saying did make sense, however, Niall knew he was probably just trying to make him feel better. 

“I don’t know why he’s doing all this, it’s probably just because he’s a nice person, it doesn’t mean anything.” Niall didn’t wanna get his hopes up, he actually hadn’t thought he’d ever have this conversation with anybody, but somehow it felt a little bit nice talking about it, getting somebody else’s opinion. There were still enough secrets to keep anyways. 

“He really cares about you though, it’s obvious.” It was Harry who said it, as if he really meant it. “I don’t know why or what’s going on in his head, but I don’t think he’s just doing it because he’s nice.”

“I’ll probably never know anyways, it’s really whatever.” Actually, it wasn’t, but Niall kinda wanted to change the topic now, think about all this once he was home again and by himself. 

“Not if you don’t ask him.” Oh god, Louis really wanted Niall to ruin his life, didn’t he?

“I can’t just ask him, it’d make things really fucking weird and I don’t want them to be weird. I want everything to stay as it is.” Well… not exactly, but it was the most Niall could have. “Can we just stop talking about it?”

“Okay, but if you change your mind… we can always talk about it.” Louis offered again, looking really serious when Niall threw a quick glance at him, but that didn’t change his mind. 

“Because you give such good advice, right?” Harry laughed and though Louis seemed pissed off for a moment, at least it lightened the mood before they started talking about something else afterwards.

They walked for another hour or so before they took a break and Harry luckily revealed to have packed stuff for all of them, probably expecting neither Louis nor Niall to be well equipped to go hiking. Or a walk through the woods more like. 

Niall did ask Harry how long he had intended this to be and the younger boy told him that they were about halfway done with the whole way, so Niall trusted him, even if they hadn’t really met any other people yet. There was a visible path that they were on though, so that had to mean something even if Niall had noticed about half an hour ago that he had no cell signal anymore. 

“Do we have any more water left?” Louis asked after a while and Niall was also getting thirsty again because of how hot he was feeling. His heat was definitely going to come tomorrow morning, he just knew.

“Sorry, we drank everything before.” Harry told him after checking his backpack, but it didn’t seem to bother Louis all too much. “Babe, I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

“Why? It’s a creek, what’s not a good idea about it?” They had stopped and Niall kinda agreed with Louis, so he was already slowly walking down to the water, trying not to slip.

“It might be dirty, I don’t know… we only have a little longer left, we can stop somewhere on the way home.“ The younger boy sounded a bit wary, but he also didn’t keep Louis from coming after Niall.

It was kinda hard to get down and not fall into the water, but Niall somehow managed, even before Louis had fully reached him. Niall didn’t really have anything to hold onto, and after maybe having had two mouthful of water, he slipped a bit but managed to catch himself with his free hand. “Fuck.”

“You okay?” Louis still hadn’t drunk anything yet, and he stopped attempting to find a good stand when Niall cursed, rubbing his wrist. It didn’t hurt a lot, just a bit. 

“Yeah, I just slipped. Also, that water is kinda gross.” It really was, Niall wasn’t actually sure anymore whether he was thirsty enough to keep on drinking it so he slowly got up instead.

“Did you hurt your hand?” Louis apparently decided the same as he followed Niall back to where Harry was waiting for them, looking slightly concerned. 

“No, it’s fine.” Niall was sure that it’d be fine again in a little bit, it had just been unexpected, so he had fallen on it kinda weirdly. “How long do we need until we’re back at the car?”

“Hm, a bit over an hour probably, if we walk a bit faster than before. Did you really drink that water?” Thinking about it now when Harry asked like that, it probably hadn’t been a good idea, but it wasn’t exactly Niall’s biggest problem right now. 

“Yeah, but only like, two sips. Let’s just go.” Harry seemed relieved that Louis hadn’t drunk any of it, but like honestly, Niall could barely even think about that as they kept on walking because he was a lot more concerned about his wrist still hurting whenever he moved it. Also, he could definitely tell a major difference to how he had been feeling this morning and suddenly, he wasn’t so sure anymore whether he would really have until tomorrow for his heat to come. 

Niall felt okay though when they kept on walking and talking about random things, a little less than before because they were all getting kinda tired. When another hour had passed though, Niall could feel himself getting impatient, and his wrist was also kinda hurting more instead of feeling better and overall, he felt like shit.

“You okay? You look like you’re really hot.” Harry pointed out after a while, probably referring to the fact that Niall was kinda sweating a bit too much considering they were in the shadow almost the whole entire time. 

“I’m good. When are we gonna be back again?” Okay, maybe Niall did sound like a child whining on a long car journey, but he had his reasons. 

“Soon… I think we’ve already been here when we were walking in the other direction.” He THOUGHT?

“Do you know where we are going?” Niall honestly didn’t trust this anymore, it felt like they had been walking for ages and though he did have phone signal again now, it wasn’t really helping all that much except for the fact that he could now text Liam and distract himself. The older boy was still at the photoshoot though, so his answers were kinda inconsistent. 

“Yes, I told you, we’re almost back by the parking lot… are you sure you’re okay? You look a bit over heated, we can walk slower.” They weren’t walking fast at all, so Harry offering that was a little weird.

“No, it’s… “ Niall broke off for a second before giving himself a bit of a push, it’s not like it mattered, right? “I’m just going into heat.”

“Wait… now?!” Louis immediately took a step sideways, which made Niall roll his eyes, because seriously? 

“I don’t know, it’s just been building for a few days, it’s only my second time. Also, don’t act like it’s contagious or anything, you guys won’t even notice a difference.” Thank god they were Betas. Or maybe not, because if one of them had been an Omega too, at least Niall would have had somebody to talk to about all this and get some advice that didn’t come from sketchy forums on google and strange youtube videos. “I’m just feeling a bit hot, is all.”

“But won’t you like… I mean… the whole point of it is that you get real horny so that you will wanna f-“

“Louis.” Harry warned his boyfriend, for which Niall was very glad. “Just let him be, there’s nothing we can do anyways. Let’s just walk faster.”

They did end up walking slightly faster and no one spoke a word for a moment, but obviously Louis couldn’t just let it go though he sounded quite serious when he walked closer next to Niall again. “If you do need to wank though we can just walk a bit ahead or something.”

“I don’t need to wank, thanks.” Not now at least. 

“Okay, just offering.” Louis shrugged and Niall threw a quick look at his face, already knowing that the other boy was about to ask his next question though. “What’s it like when you’re in heat and Liam is in the same house?”

“What, you mean if we fuck?” Niall just said it straight out because he was annoyed, which clearly took his friends by surprise for a second. “Nothing changes, I just smell him more intensely and the other way around so we kinda… keep our distance, that’s all.”

“So it’s not like in those movies where people use it as an excuse to have sex because they say they couldn’t control themselves?” Were they seriously talking about this now, in the middle of a forest?

“No, not at all. I mean… yeah I do feel kinda horny and… smelling L- an Alpha doesn’t make it better, but it’s not like I can’t think or talk like a normal person anymore. I don’t know what it’s like the other way around, but… Liam seemed completely unaffected the first time.” Which still bothered Niall, by the way, but he was trying to stay neutral about it. 

“Weird. So those Alphas who claim they couldn’t control themselves… they’re really just assholes?” Louis concluded, sounded seriously interested in this for some reason so Niall tried to calm himself down. It was kinda hard though when he was bound to be on the edge already anyways due to his current health state.

“Rapists, more like.” It was something Niall had also been concerned about when he had gone into heat a few weeks ago, and also now, because technically, he could have gone out into public and stuff while in heat, and he was, but like… things could happen. And Niall really hated that because how was that fair? No one should have to lock themselves in just because some sickos were out there who still sometimes got away with it in court. Niall hadn’t really spent too much of his time on these kinda things before, but he now realized what a huge problem all this actually was in the world. 

“But if everyone knows that, how can they even get away with that?” That was exactly the problem.

“Probably because some people say that if you’re in heat you wanna fuck every single Alpha anyways, so they just say it must have been wanted from both sides.” Niall couldn’t really say too much about this because he didn’t have a lot of experience, he just knew that the only person he had been thinking about during his first heat had been Liam, but that was what he did on a daily basis, sooo…. “I think I see the parking lot.”

“Me too, thank god.” Louis sounded really relieved actually, almost as much as Niall. Also, Harry seemed relieved also, which kinda worried Niall a little bit, but he decided not to comment on it simply because they had a really long car ride ahead of them now. 

They didn’t talk about any more Omega related stuff once they were sure that they had indeed found their way back and Niall wasn’t sure if he had ever been happier about finally being able to sit in the backseat of Harry’s car by himself. Also a little because that meant the other two couldn’t see that his wrist had kinda gotten a bit swollen, maybe also a little blueish. Well… that certainly was bad timing. 

“We should do this again sometime, I feel a lot better now than I do whenever we just lie around on someone’s couch.” Of course Harry had to say that when he started the car and Niall shared a quick look with Louis through the mirror the other boy had pulled down briefly, probably to check his hair or something, because he did that a lot. “What? Did you really hate it that much?”

“I didn’t hate it or anything… I do enjoy when we’re lying on someone’s couch though.” Louis said it carefully, but he made sure to grab Harry’s hand immediately afterwards when the younger boy threw a glance at him. “Hey, it was fun. Thanks for looking it all up, Haz.”

“Yeah, thanks. I’d do it again.” Niall made sure to throw in from the backseat as well because it had been a nice idea after all, he was just a bit biased because of what his body was going through right now. And the fact that he seemed to somehow have hurt his wrist and possibly made himself sick by drinking dirty water, but the latter could have been related to his heat, so Niall decided to ignore it. For now. “Maybe at another time of the month though.”

“I’ll try to get us home quick, I just hope there isn’t too much traffic.” Hopefully, but it’s not like Niall would feel any different at home so there was that.

Louis of course kept putting on those bad songs and they did get into some traffic, so Niall blamed the car ride and the sun shining directly into his face on the fact that he was kinda starting to feel a bit sicker. He hadn’t eaten in a while though and he was also thirsty, so surely that didn’t mean anything else, right? His wrist was definitely getting more swollen due to the heat also.

Harry did stop the car at some store so they could buy something to drink at least if they were going to be in traffic for a little while longer even if they were almost home. Honestly, Niall considered staying in the car, but he just thought that maybe getting some air and walking for a bit would make him feel better. Let’s just say… not exactly.

“You look really pale.” Louis noted after he had come out of the store once more to where Niall had decided to wait, having asked the others to get him a bottle of water. “Here, you should probably drink that.”

“Thanks, I- _shit_.” Out of habit, Niall had reached out for the bottle with his left hand, his dominant one and also the one he had watched getting more swollen as time had passed. A sharp pain immediately forced him to let go again, almost dropping the bottle to the ground if Louis hadn’t caught it.

“Are you- oh my god. What the hell happened to your hand?! Is that because of before?” Louis actually sounded and looked quite terrified as he stared at Niall’s hand while the other boy tried making it stop hurting by rubbing it, but it only seemed to make it worse. “Shit, Niall, we should bring you to a hospital or something.”

“No way, it’s fine, it’s just a bit swollen.” And it hurt like hell now but surely that would go away once Niall had put some ice on it at home. 

“What’s going on?” Harry asked once he came to join them and Niall just knew the second he had seen his wrist, because his eyes grew larger at an instant. “Niall, why didn’t you say something?!”

“What was I supposed to say, it’s n-“

“It’s not nothing, you can’t even hold that bottle. Here, you’re really pale and you look like you’re gonna pass out.” Louis had unscrewed the bottle for Niall, and the other boy could feel himself blushing a bit when he took it from him with his good hand, the water not actually making him feel any better whatsoever. “How much longer until we’re home, H?”

“30 minutes, I’d say. But we should probably stop at the hospital instead and-“

“No, it’s Saturday, it’s not an emergency, it’d just be a waste of time. I’ll ice it when I get home.” Fuck, Niall just wanted to lie in bed and pray for his heat to go over quickly. 

“You probably sprained it or something, if you don’t get it looked at it’ll only get worse.” Harry was completely right, but that didn’t mean Niall wanted to give in. “Also, I’m kinda concerned because you drank that dirty water. You look like you’re gonna be sick.”

“It’s because I’m going into heat.” Well, not really, but… it could have been, right?

“I’m pretty sure going into heat doesn’t make you sick though. Ni, let’s just go to the hospital, okay? Please? It’s not even that late yet, I’m sure we won’t be there for that long.” The fact that the other two now had to beg Niall to go to the hospital kinda made Niall feel bad, but the thing was just… he had been really looking forward to getting home for only one reason. 

“I, um… “ Niall started, not really knowing how to say this without sounding like an idiot, but also because he was kinda afraid he might puke on himself if he talked too much. “I texted Liam, um, when we’d be back, so… I’d have to tell him and he’s gonna be really worried and freak out.”

“Niall, he’d freak out even more if you came home looking like this and your wrist all blue and swollen.” Harry did have a point. “C’mon, we can discuss this in the car, we’re just wasting time here.”

So that’s what they and Niall already kinda knew that he had lost that argument anyways and he was just too exhausted to keep on fighting the other two. He did feel like shit and his hand really hurt and truth was, he actually really wanted to tell Liam and whine and make him come to the hospital as well, but he surely had better stuff to do, right? Maybe he wasn’t even home after all, he had tons of friends, he wouldn’t sit and wait for Niall on a Saturday evening.

It took longer than Harry had predicted and by the time they did get to the hospital, Niall was actually kinda glad. Also, he was now getting concerned because of the water he had been drinking because the way he felt surely wasn’t coming from his wrist or his heat, it felt kinda like the time he had gotten food poisoning as a kid, which wasn’t exactly a good thing. 

“Did you tell Liam already?” Harry asked once they had been told to sit down and wait, more people there than Niall had feared. They’d be here for at least a few hours, unless he puked on the floor before that, maybe they’d call him in sooner then. 

“No… I don’t know where he is.” Niall shrugged a bit, trying to sound like he didn’t even care. “He probably won’t even notice.”

“I thought you said you told him when you’d be back home?” Okay, why did Harry care?

“Yeah, but I don’t even know if he’s home, so. It doesn’t even matter anyways.” Things were already bad, Niall was in public surrounded by all kinds of people while he was literally almost in heat, his wrist hurt like hell now whenever he moved it the tiniest bit and on top of that, he wanted to just throw up. 

“I just thought maybe you’d feel better if he was here.” When Harry said that, he had clearly hesitated and his voice had gotten a bit softer and Niall felt his face turning even hotter than it already was. 

“You guys don’t need to wait with me, you can go home, I-“

“I didn’t mean me and Louis wanna leave so we should call Liam, of course we’re waiting with you. I simply meant maybe you should call Liam if it’ll make you feel better to have him here.” It surely would have, but one, Niall didn’t wanna waste his time and two, he was trying not to be a baby for once. “I’m sure he’d come, no matter where he is.”

“I know… “ Was all Niall said before closing his eyes, trying to breathe evenly. He had gotten an ice pack for his hand, so that was at least something. 

It took a few minutes before Niall had finally convinced himself to call Liam and ignore whether he was being annoying or clingy or whatever. Deep down he knew Liam would have wanted him to call, that he wasn’t annoyed and that he would have come no matter what. But that would have required for him to actually pick up the phone. 

“What’s wrong?” Louis asked when Niall put down his phone after having waited for a bit, suddenly so desperate for Liam to be here that he almost had to fight back tears. 

“Um, he’s not picking up his phone. He’s probably still at the photoshoot, it’s whate-“

“He’s calling you back.” Harry interrupted and Niall picked up embarrassingly fast, relief spreading through his body.

“Hi.” Was all Niall brought out, so desperate to talk to Liam that he now wondered how he had managed to hold off for so long.

“Hi, sorry, I was driving. Everything okay?” So he had pulled over just to talk to Niall?

“Where are you going?” Niall decided to ignore the question for now, he first of all needed to figure out whether he was about to ruin Liam’s plans or not. 

“Just to the gym. Are you already home?” God, Niall really wished he were. Although hearing Liam’s voice did kinda work like a magic cure, at least momentarily. 

“No, uh… I, um, I just... I kinda, like, hurt my wrist, so I’m-“

“Wait, what? What happened? Are okay? Where are you?” As expected, Liam immediately started freaking out and maybe it did make Niall a little happy, to once more get confirmation of how much Liam seemed to care about him.

“At the hospital, with Harry and Louis. But I’m f-“

“Our hospital?” Was all Liam wanted to know, clearly having put Niall on speaker now because the younger boy could hear him starting the car once more in the background as he told Liam yes. Thank god they had almost been home when the others had seen Niall’s hand. “I’ll be there in 10 minutes, okay?”

“You can go to the gym, it’s okay, I’ll be fine.” Lies, Niall would have actually cried right now had Liam agreed. Fuck, even 10 minutes kinda seemed too long right now.

“I’m not going to the gym when you’re at the hospital, Nialler. Unless you don’t want me to come.” Liam didn’t sound like he thought Niall didn’t want him to come, but the fact alone that he said it made the younger’s stomach turn a little.

“No, I… I want you to.” Niall choked a bit on his words, suddenly feeling embarrassed and well aware that the other two were listening to every word he said. “I just mean in case y-“

“I’ll see you in 10, okay?” Liam’s voice was soft when he interrupted Niall and the younger boy just felt relief after he had agreed and hung up the phone. Thank god.

“Is he coming?” Harry asked almost immediately, seemingly happy when Niall just nodded to save a bit of his energy. 

Honestly, Niall thought 10 minutes would go by a bit more quickly, but he also tried not to check his phone too much because it would have only driven him more crazy. It seemed that now that he knew Liam was coming, he actually didn’t know how he had managed to not call him for so damn long. Instead of freaking out though, he tried to focus on icing his wrist and listening to whatever Harry and Louis were talking about next to him.

It was kinda funny really, to think that just a little bit ago they had had these problems and now they didn’t even mind wasting their Saturday evening for Niall. Kinda showed him that he had definitely been overreacting back then. 

Liam seemed to have somehow found them immediately despite all the other people waiting as well and Niall would have come looking for him had he known that he was already there. Ten minutes hadn’t even passed as Niall realized when he threw a quick look at the clock on the wall that he only noticed now when he watched Liam coming closer.

There was no seat next to Niall because he was sitting on the last one, but it didn’t seem as if Liam thought about going to sit two seats away next to Louis for only a second. Fuck, he had definitely just come from a photoshoot, even if that worried expression on his face didn’t really match. 

“Hi… how are you doing?” Liam didn’t go and hug Niall, instead he leaned down a bit, cupping Niall’s face in his palms and unexpectedly kissing his forehead before making himself smaller in front of the younger boy. “Show me your hand.”

“It, um, it looks worse than it is.” Niall made sure to tell him as he moved the ice pack, his face burning from the kiss, the memories of how Liam’s hands had felt against his cheeks still prominent in his head. 

“Shit, Ni, how did that happen?” Good question. 

“I don’t know, I was almost sitting down, I didn’t even fall or anything.” No need to mention the dirty water Niall had been drinking right now, also, he was kinda more busy getting his heart beat under control when Liam took his hand, so gently though that it honestly didn’t hurt the tiniest bit when he stroked his thumb over Niall’s wrist. 

“Okay… better put the ice back on, it looks really swollen… thanks.” Liam went to sit down next to Niall after Harry had switched seats. “You don’t looks so good, Ni.”

“I know… I’m going into heat.” Niall used the same excuse again even though he knew Liam wouldn’t buy it anyways.

“I can tell. But I don’t think that’s it.” The older boy had wrapped his arm around Niall, so Niall almost immediately let himself fall into him because there were no arm rests anyways, feeling so comforted right now that he was almost able to forget about the fact that they would have to wait here for probably another few hours. 

“Um… I kinda drank from a creek when we were hiking, but-“

“Niall?! Why?” Liam didn’t pull away, but he still sounded freaked out and now Niall almost felt guilty for having done it.

“I was thirsty and we had no water left. Going into heat really makes me feel hot all the time.” Niall explained, kinda feeling like he was a child though defending breaking a vase or something. “Do you think I, like… poisoned myself?”

“I don’t think so, I’m sure it’s gonna be fine, okay?” Liam had immediately switched back to a calmer voice again and Niall really appreciated it because it would have only made him freak out as well if Liam thought it would have serious consequences. 

“Okay… thanks for coming.” By now, the younger boy had let his head sink against Liam, talking a bit more quietly even though he knew Harry and Louis could hear them anyways, even if they were pretending to be discussing some pictures on their phones. And they could also very well see Liam turning his head so he could kiss the top of Niall’s a few times.

“I’d always come if something’s up, you know that, Ni.” It was true, Niall did know that although hearing Liam say it wasn’t a bad feeling at all. “Was the hiking fun at least?”

“Yeah… how was your shoot?” Niall made sure to switch the topic as fast as possible so that the others wouldn’t get involved because even though it was quite selfish, Niall actually just wanted Liam to himself. 

Time passed by more quickly with Liam here, that was for sure. It was of course not the best thing for Niall’s heat to be almost sitting on his lap, but the younger boy really didn’t care about that right now. He was in pain and he felt like absolute shit, even more when he had to go to the bathroom after an hour and Liam wordlessly walked with him, keeping his arm somewhere around him at all times.

The walking had kinda made Niall even more sick, so he did end up with his head in the toilet throwing up a bit while Liam just kept rubbing his back despite the younger boy telling him to get out because it was surely gross for him. He stayed though, buying Niall something to drink afterwards and some gum from a vending machine and at this point, Niall was just ready to go home and lie in bed. Had his wrist not hurt that much, he might have tried to sleep on Liam’s shoulder for a bit and he was pretty sure Liam thought he was asleep anyways because he was holding the ice pack for Niall after the younger boy almost let it fall by accident. 

After more than two hours, a nurse finally called Niall’s name and it really only took a quick scared look at Liam for the older boy to come with him. Sure, Niall could have gone by himself, but he really didn’t want to and had Liam not been here, he might have even asked one of the other two to come to the examination room with him. 

It turned out that Niall’s wrist was simply sprained and nothing more, the doctor seemed a lot more concerned about Niall drinking that water and not feeling well as a result, but he also seemed confused when Niall asked whether he was gonna die from it. So Niall ended up walking out of the room wearing a wrist support and both his arms hurting from getting vaccinations so he wouldn’t actually die from drinking that stupid water and having his blood drawn, but they’d only call if it was life threatening, which it most likely wasn’t.

Niall still had some antibiotics to take, which had as a result that Liam was now treating this as if Niall had been diagnosed with an incurable illness.

“You okay? Tell me if you need to throw up.” To be fair, it was really helping that Liam was keeping his arm so tightly around Niall because he was indeed feeling a bit weak. “I can also carry you, I didn’t park the car too far away.”

“I’m good, Li, thanks.” Niall would have only died of embarrassment, even more than he already was when Harry and Louis came to join them in walking outside. The fact that they had stayed even though Liam and Niall had both told them that they could go home kinda really warmed Niall’s heart. 

“What did the doctor say?” Louis asked once they had come over, so Niall told them and it seemed his friend was just really glad that he hadn’t drunk that water as well. Not like Niall could have blamed him for that. 

Liam had parked his car so far away from Harry’s that they all said goodbye at the entrance, Harry and Louis both hugging Niall briefly, not squeezing him too tightly though because they were probably afraid Niall would throw up all over them. Not too unlikely. “Thanks for waiting, I know it was really boring.”

“It’s fine, Niall, just call if you need anything, okay?” Harry made sure to tell Niall when they pulled apart and Niall felt Liam’s arm wrapping back around his shoulders.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of him.” Liam told the younger boy and Niall actually felt a shiver going down his spine hearing those words. 

“I didn’t doubt that. Bye, guys.” There might have been a bit of an intense look at Niall, but he decided to ignore it because he was blushed enough already.

When Niall got into Liam’s car a few minutes later, he almost immediately let his eyes fall closed, trying to hold his hand in a position that didn’t hurt too much. He wasn’t trying to fall asleep or anything because they were almost at home, but it was also kinda hard to stay awake.

“Take a nap if you want, it’ll make you feel better.” Liam reached over unexpectedly, briefly touching Niall’s good hand. “Niall?”

“Hm?” Niall rolled his head around, slowly blinking his eyes open again even if it was kind of a challenge.

“Next time if anything is up and you need me there, you don’t have to worry about what I’m doing or be embarrassed, you can just call me and I promise I’ll come.” Liam’s eyes were so brown and so soft and Niall almost about died.

“Um… o-okay, I… I just… I mean, we had to drive back and then it wasn’t even that bad, like… “Okay, that was kind of a lie and Liam obviously knew it, but he didn’t say anything, only squeezed Niall’s hand. “Thank you though… “

“No need to thank me, Nialler. I’m just sorry you’re feeling bad.” Liam gave Niall’s hand another squeeze before letting go so he could start the car, leaving it feeling really warm though. 

“It was my fault anyways… just sucks that it had to happen the same day I’m going into heat… “ Then again, Niall felt like all this kinda distracted him from his heat as well, like his body deciding to tone it down a little because he was sick and also injured. Who knew though, Niall might have been feeling a lot differently tomorrow morning and it’s not like he could have even done much because… well, he had injured his dominant hand, there was no way in hell he would have been able to use it to bring himself any relief, but he tried to ignore that for now.

Though the drive home was only about 10 to 15 minutes, Niall did somehow manage to fall asleep in the most uncomfortable position ever, all the walking and everything else kinda taking its toll on him. It was fine though, he was with Liam and Niall trusted him 100% and just knowing that he was here was maybe the best medicine for pretty much anything.

 

\---------------------

 

There was a quiet knock on the door and Liam put his book down on his chest, waiting until Niall’s mother was just about poking her head in. This was the third time she was checking in on them and though Liam was kinda afraid she’d wake Niall at some point, he could also understand where her worries were coming from. Looking at Niall sleeping in his bed next to Liam, it was hard not getting all protective and worried all over again. 

“Do you boys need anything? I’ve got some dinner downstairs.” She had also brought a ton of other things before, seemingly grateful that Liam was in here staying with Niall, because she had freaked out quite a bit when they had come home a few hours ago. Niall had managed to wake up and walk up to his room and Liam had also convinced him to change his clothes, but after that, the younger boy had fallen into his bed, asking Liam to stay with him though before falling asleep.

“I don’t think Niall can keep anything down and I’m not really hungry… thank you though.” Liam made sure to smile at her, promising he’d come and get her if anything happened before she left them alone once more. 

It was around 9 at night and Liam was kinda getting tired from reading, so he put his book away after a few minutes, instead turning onto his side, propping himself up on his elbow as he watched Niall sleep. He was in heat, Liam could tell clearly obviously, but it was completely bearable for him to lie so close to the younger boy. If Niall thought otherwise in case he woke up, Liam would have of course left, but he had asked him to stay and he had been really clingy ever since Liam had gotten to the hospital.

Obviously Liam was worried about him, had been the moment Niall had called and told him what was up and even if he knew that Niall would be just fine, he still felt terrible for him of course. And all this bad timing with his heat and now Liam also felt extra bad for not having been able to come along on the hike when Niall had asked him. But he had been booked for the shoot and luckily Liam had been just about done by the time Niall had called.

He somehow felt closer to the younger boy ever since he had told Niall about what was going on and though Liam hadn’t exactly told him all the details and had talked it down a bit, Niall still knew and Liam could stop lying to him finally. Honestly, he should have probably done it sooner, but he had been afraid and he still was, getting Niall involved into all this was Liam’s worst nightmare, he felt so protective over him that it sometimes physically hurt to not know if he was alright. Especially at uni, when anybody could have talked to him just like at the stupid party Liam had thrown for him.

All this wasn’t really Liam’s biggest concern right now though, he just wanted Niall to get better as quickly as possible and him sleeping it all off was a good start to that, so the older boy tried his hardest to be quiet and not disturb Niall’s sleep in any way. He did pull up his blanket sometimes and gently rearranged his injured hand whenever Niall brought it into a weird position, and he tried to keep an ice pack on it as well just to be sure.

After another two hours and an essay and a half later, Liam left the room for a little bit to go shower and change his clothes, getting his own blanket from his room because one, Niall had pulled his all to himself and two, he was in heat, so it probably wasn’t the best idea to sleep so close tonight. Liam was a little afraid that Niall might wake up while he was gone, but he was still deep asleep when he came back, pulling the curtains and turning off the main light. 

It hadn’t been Liam’s intention at all to wake Niall, he had just wet a towel in the bathroom to softly wipe over Niall’s forehead because he looked really overheated, but it caused the younger boy to stir. 

“Li?” Was the first thing Niall asked, or mumbled more like, his eyes still half closed and Liam immediately stopped moving the towel, hoping he’d fall back asleep.

“I’m here, go back to sleep, okay? It’s really late.” Liam half whispered, running his fingers through the younger’s now damp hair, but sadly, it only seemed to wake him up even more. 

“Fuck… “ Niall groaned after he had blinked his eyes open and Liam knowingly sat back a bit so they weren’t that close anymore. “I feel like shit… “

“I know, I’m sorry, Ni… do you want some water?” Liam had gotten a water bottle from downstairs hours ago, it wasn’t cold anymore but Niall still took it, sitting up a bit so he could drink some of it while the older boy kept a worried eye on him. “There’s a bucket on the floor next to you in case you need to throw up again.”

“Okay… thank you… can we... can you maybe open the window? Please?” Niall was wiping his forehead with the back of his hand and it was obvious that he was really affected by Liam’s presence because he kept rearranging the blanket, making sure it didn’t slip. 

Of course Liam immediately got up and opened the window as far as it would go, shivering a little when the wind blew into the room as he walked back to the bed. “I can go to my room, if-“

“No. Don’t.” Niall almost seemed really panicked about that, so Liam made sure to sit down on the bed once more, a little relieved that Niall wanted him to stay because he would have been a bit nervous about leaving the younger boy alone for the whole night long. “It’s just… everything at once.”

“I know… are you in pain? You can take some more pain killers.” He had only taken one before and Liam was making sure to keep track of all that for him because he just was like that. 

“It’s, um… not that kinda pain.” Right. Niall’s face was quite blushed and Liam of course knew immediately what he meant, but it only really dawned on him now that Niall was left handed and that he could in no shape or form use his hand to do… whatever really to bring him any relief during his heat. And with Liam being in here the whole time, and having been in here for a while, it was probably only making this way harder for him. 

“It’d probably be a lot easier for you if I wasn’t in here.” Liam didn’t wanna go, he had brought his blanket and all, but obviously he would have. 

“No, it’s okay, I… I don’t wanna be alone. It’s not even that bad.” Still, it was obvious he was trying not to breathe in too deeply, so Liam tried to help a bit by covering himself with the blanket, slowly so he wouldn’t move the air too much. Then again, that probably made no difference whatsoever. “But I get it if you’d rather sleep in your room.”

“It’s not about that at all, I’d feel a lot better if you weren’t alone during the night. But I can imagine that… it’s not comfortable.” Liam didn’t think there was anything embarrassing about it because it was in Niall’s nature and he couldn’t do anything about it, but the younger boy seemed to think a lot differently. 

“No, um, it’s okay. I mean… my wrist and me having drank water somebody has probably shat in is distracting me anyways.” Niall joked, laughing only briefly with Liam though before he took another sip of water from the bottle, his hand noticeably shaking a bit. “Thank you… for staying.”

“Don’t worry about it, Nialler, I’d never leave you alone when you’re feeling bad, okay?” Or in general really because Liam was pretty sure he had never in his life felt so protective over anyone. It’s just, they lived together in the same house and Niall was just the kinda person who it was easy to worry about. “You should try and sleep some more, you’ll feel a lot better in the morning. I can turn off the lights.”

“Okay… I’ll try.” Niall agreed after a moment and Liam waited until he had put the water bottle on his bedside table and lied back down before flicking off the lights, plunging them not in complete darkness because the window was still open as well. “Um… Liam?”

“Yeah?” Liam was trying to be comfortable on the very edge of the bed without falling down. 

“Can you give me the towel again?” The younger boy asked as if it was a lot of trouble or something, but Liam easily got it, leaning on his elbow again so he could softly place it on Niall’s forehead, hoping it was cooling him down at least a little bit. “Thanks… “

“No problem… try to sleep, Ni. I’m here if you need anything.” And he’d probably be unable to sleep for a really long time anyways. 

 

\------------------------

 

Niall wasn’t sure if he was awake or not and whether any of this was real, all he knew was that he was feeling hot as hell and he was so hard and aroused and everything smelled like Liam even in his dreams. When Niall was rutting his hips against the sheets to get at least some sort of friction, he was half asleep and not thinking about anything at all except for the fact that he needed relief, so badly that it had half woken him already three times. 

It wasn’t anything like his hand would have felt or being with an actual person, it didn’t even last long, all Niall knew was that one moment he was still dreaming about Liam, and the next he was fully jerking awake when he came into his boxer shorts with the older’s fucking name on his lips. 

For a moment or two, Niall was just lying there on his stomach, his breath going fast as he struggled to fill his lunges with enough air, suddenly feeling a whole lot better while he was coming down from his orgasm. Which didn’t really last too long though because that was when realization suddenly kicked in and Niall had sat up in the matter of two seconds. 

To make it even worse, he hadn’t only been fucking humping his mattress and moaning Liam’s name, nope, he had also done it right NEXT to Liam and the very worst part, Liam had been awake to witness it all. Fuck, this was it, Niall’s absolute low point.

“Niall, are you-“

“Please don’t say anything right now.” Niall interrupted him immediately, at least it was dark, but that was really everything he had going for him right now. FUCK. 

Liam did him the favor and shut his mouth, probably really disturbed because who even knew how long this had been going on, maybe Niall had been having sex dreams for hours and Liam just hadn’t woken him or hadn’t known what to do and… this couldn’t possibly get any worse, there was just NO way.

In an attempt to at least save some of his dignity, or what was left of it, Niall got out of bed after reflecting for a few minutes wishing to die. His boxer shorts and sleeping pants were all wet and damp and fuck, he hated this so damn much. He couldn’t turn the lights on obviously, so he had to blindly search for his closet in the dark, his wrist and stomach hurting like hell. 

“Ni, what are you doing?” Liam asked from the bed after a while of Niall struggling quite noisily and cursing under his breath, being seconds from just jumping out of that open window honestly.

“Changing my clothes.” Was all Niall told him, his face burning bright red as he tried to hurry up, afraid Liam would turn on the lights. How could this have happened? It surely hadn’t happened during Niall’s first heat!

“Okay. Look, it’s not a big deal, you don’t have to be embarrassed.” Oh god, could he stop?! “I really get it.”

“Can we just… not talk about it, please? I’m sorry you had to… witness that.” Witness Niall moaning his name while cuming in his pants, casual. 

“We don’t have to, but I know you’re gonna be beating yourself up over it when you really don’t have to… can I turn on the lights?” Liam had waited until Niall had come back to the bed, lying down on his back and agreeing quietly after putting his arm over his eyes to hide at least a little bit of his face. He couldn’t believe he had done that. “It’s all good, Niall.”

“No, it’s not fucking good, I… I was asleep, I only woke up when… I’m sorry, I was asleep and then I was dreaming and everything in here smells like you and-“

“Niall, hey, it’s alright, I promise. I’m not weirded out or anything, I was asleep as well, I only woke up shortly before you.” Just in time to witness the grand finale. “We both know why it happened, it’s nothing to be embarrassed about, you can’t control it.”

“It’s still fucking weird that it happened and… I get it if you’re really freaked out now.” Actually, Niall was freaked out by himself also and he was also really emotional now and suddenly there were tears building up in his eyes and his throat was getting tight because fuck, this whole situation just sucked. And to make matters even worse, he was already fucking getting hard again. “I’m sorry.”

“Niall-“

“No, r-really, I am. I’m such a-an idiot, of c-course I had t-to hurt my f-fucking w-wrist a-and… d-drink t-that w-water and… f-fuck, it h-hurts s-so b-bad.” Everything did, Niall was completely losing it now and he knew it but he just couldn’t stop crying and whining about it. 

“What hurts, Ni?” Liam was moving closer, Niall could tell not because he had removed his arm from his eyes, but because he could smell it. 

“E-Everything… my w-wrist, m-my s-stomach… m-my f-fucking d-dick.” Honestly, Niall almost laughed when he said it, but like, not because he was so amused but because the whole situation was so bloody ridiculous, he couldn’t have made this up in his wildest dreams. 

“Do you want some pain killers?” Liam offered, his voice softer now and his fingers slowly moving through Niall’s hair but the younger boy could tell that he was trying not to come too close. Honestly, it didn’t even matter anymore now.

“N-No… I wanna s-sleep… but I c-can’t.” For multiple reasons, mostly because he was really horny and his wrist was absolutely killing him every time he moved it. 

The older boy didn’t answer immediately, he just kept running his hand through Niall’s hair and when he did speak up, Niall actually thought for a second that he was making fun of him. “I know you can’t really… do anything to make your heat more bearable because of your hand, but if it gets really bad and you think you can’t stand it anymore… I’d help you, with whatever.”

“I… w-what?” Was he being for real? Was he genuinely offering platonic hand jobs now?! “No, I… that’d be… weird as fuck.”

“I just don’t want you to be in pain or to suffer… I can also go to my room and maybe you c-“

“No, d-don’t g- fuck!” Without thinking, Niall had reached out for Liam’s arm with his bad hand to make sure he stayed, the pain immediately causing tears to build up in his eyes again. He truly was a freaking mess right now. 

“Shit, should I go get another ice pack?” Liam was immediately panicked as well and Niall had finally removed his arm from his eyes, which was a bad idea because they were already getting wet.

“N-No… stay.” Honestly, Niall was desperate, he wanted to be closer to Liam so badly, but he didn’t know if it was a good idea because he was in heat and as a result, he just started crying instead because everything was shit and it was probably 3 in the morning.

“Nialler, hey… look at me.” When Liam softly cupped the side of Niall’s face in his palm and waited until the younger boy had turned his head around to blink at him through his tears, Niall could feel his touch and his thumb stroking across his cheekbone everywhere in his body. “Everything will be okay, I know you feel like shit right now, but it’s going to pass. I’m here, okay? I’m not going anywhere. Just tell me what you need.”

There were a hundred things Niall needed right now, none of which Liam could have given him. Except for one. “You.”

Niall didn’t mean it in a sexual way at all, he just wanted to be closer to Liam and the older boy welcomed him into his arms after clearly being confused for a moment. It made things worse in a way, to be cuddled into Liam with his head on the older’s chest and his arms wrapped so tightly around him, but it also kept Niall from feeling as if he was actually about to fall apart.

Liam made sure to somehow rearrange Niall’s blanket around him with only one arm before just going back to holding him close, stroking his hair in even motions while Niall simply pressed his eyes closed, hoping to somehow fall asleep like this. 

“How is your wrist?” Liam asked after a few moments, having turned off the lights again, his voice soft and quiet and his breath giving Niall shivers as it hit his scalp because that’s where his mouth was. 

“Hurts.” Niall mumbled into Liam’s shirt, trying not to breathe in too deeply.

“Do you want me to kiss it better?” It was probably a joke, but Niall knew he would have really done it. When Liam kissed his head instead, it did make Niall feel better, even if just the tiniest bit.

“It’s okay… “ Nothing was going to make it feel better, maybe the pain killers, but Niall didn’t want Liam to move so he could go and get them for him. He just wanted to keep on lying here, have Liam rub his back and play with his hair and focus on somehow surviving this night. 

“You wanna try and sleep some more? I think it’s really late.” Or really early, Niall couldn’t tell and he honestly didn’t care either. 

“I’ll try… “ Niall wasn’t sure if he would succeed because right now he actually wasn’t tired whatsoever, but if he could just half lie on Liam for the next few hours, that was still his best option. 

“I’ll stay awake until then, yeah? I love you.” Liam said it just like that, without any kind of hesitation and Niall’s pulse shot up like crazy because what the hell?! He was telling Niall that after what had literally just happened right next to him and he really seemed to mean it as well for some reason.

For a moment, Niall was so shocked that he couldn’t answer immediately, but then he gave himself a push because it honestly didn’t even matter anymore. “Love you too, Li… “

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello everyone :) i hope you had a nice week!
> 
> yet again thank you all sooo much for the kudos and the comments, i will never stop being surprised by that <333
> 
> i suggest we all decide to ignore the medical inaccuracies in this chapter and just agree that it is a fantasy world anyways because of the ABO dynamics haha. i hope you all enjoyed the fluff in this chapter :D and dont worry, things between niall and liam will get a bit more exciting very soon! also i especially hope the two people who wanted sick niall in heat enjoyed this chapter!
> 
> !Regarding the update schedule while I'm on vacation from the 25th to the 5th/6th of August!  
> Chapter 9: July 20th  
> Chapter 10: most likely July 22nd (might be 24th/25th as well)  
> Chapter 11: most likely July 24th (might be 25th)  
> two week break but not really because the chapters just go up early & if you want to you can save one for each week haha  
> Chapter 12: Hopefully back on track on the 10th of August (if not I already wanna apologize, but I'm 99% sure I'll manage)  
> <333  
> so this means: if you guys have any wishes or suggestions (like the people who wanted sick niall in heat), please let me know now because i'm already halfway done with chapter 9 & i will see what i can do/what fits to the plot :)


	9. Chapter 9

Niall didn’t feel much better in the morning waking up to Liam having moved to his chair instead, the window still open and the room kinda cold. The only good thing was that Niall’s wrist felt a lot better and though it was still swollen, it didn’t feel anymore as if he had stabbed himself with a knife whenever he moved it the tiniest bit. 

For a moment, after first blinking his eyes open, Niall didn’t say anything, he just lied in bed watching Liam’s back where he was sitting and writing something on his laptop. Niall couldn’t tell what it was, but it was probably something uni related and it already made him feel kinda bad because he himself wouldn’t be able to write anything at all for at least a few days. 

All this kinda faded a bit though when Niall thought about how Liam had not only spent the whole night with him, but he was still here now after Niall had slept god knows how long. Yeah, last night had been pretty fucking embarrassing, but it was already over, Niall couldn’t make it undone and he knew Liam wasn’t judging him for any of it. So that was at least something.

“Hi… “ Niall mumbled after a moment, rubbing his eyes with his uninjured hand while Liam turned around in his chair. 

“Morning. How are you feeling?” The older boy barely even took a second before he was already coming over to sit on the edge of Niall’s side of the bed, his smell immediately causing Niall to stiffen up a bit, but it was bearable. 

“Alright, I guess… you’re still here.” Judging by how light it was outside and the fact that Liam was fully dressed and had put on cologne, it was probably rather late. At least Niall’s mother hadn’t come in to wake him to ask whether he was still alive, it seemed she trusted Liam to take care of that and not let Niall wake up all by himself.

“Of course I am, Nialler, I told you I’d stay with you, didn’t I? Here, you need to take that.” Liam had brought Niall’s antibiotics and though the younger boy really did not want to take anything right now, he forced himself to sit up for a moment, allowing Liam to do everything else though and feed him the medicine. “Do you have work today?”

“Um, yes, in the evening. I don’t know if I’ll be able to make it though or if it would make much sense to go… “ Niall needed both his hands for his job, so he’d probably be more in the way if anything. Also, he didn’t know just yet if he could even keep any food down. 

“Call in sick, you can’t go to work like that. You shouldn’t go anywhere at all actually.” When Liam said it, Niall didn’t even think of arguing with him, not only because he really liked the older boy taking care of him like that, but also because he knew he was right. “Your mom went to the store and bought you all kinda stuff to eat, I can bring you something.”

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep it down though… and I really don’t wanna puke in that bucket.” Luckily Niall hadn’t needed it during the night, but to be fair, what he had done instead had been a lot worse anyways. He still couldn’t actually believe Liam was so cool with all of this, the fact that he had fucking offered that he would like… help Niall out? But it only showed Niall even more clearly that Liam saw him in the most platonic way because he wouldn’t have even thought it to be weird if he had given Niall a hand job or something. 

“You need to eat something though. I think some crackers would be okay.” When Liam reached out for Niall, he did it really slowly so the younger boy saw it coming, making sure not to tense up when Liam brushed the hair out of his forehead before gently stroking Niall’s cheek with the back of his fingers. It didn’t last long or anything, but it caused Niall’s throat to get tight and his heart to beat faster. “How’s your wrist?”

“Better… it’s still swollen but it hurts a lot less.” Niall held it up a bit, his whole face red and flushed from Liam’s touch and the soft look on his face. 

“It does look better, it’s not blue anymore.” Liam very gently took his hand and before Niall even knew it, he did what he had already offered last night, pressing a soft kiss on Niall’s wrist that could have caused the younger boy to pass out had he not already been lying down. “I’ll go get you something to eat, yeah?”

“Okay… thank you.” Niall half choked on his words when Liam smiled at him, briefly ruffling his hair before getting up and leaving the room, giving the younger boy a few minutes to try and collect himself. Fuck, if this was how Liam treated him if he was sick and injured then Niall surely didn’t mind as much anymore.

He used the time to call into work and tell them what had happened and that he would get the hours in as soon as possible. There were also a few messages from Harry and Louis in their groupchat because it was already 1 pm or something and Niall really wondered how he had even managed to sleep for that long. He barely had time to text them back before Liam came back, ignoring Louis’ very suggestive question of whether Liam was taking good care of him at first but then simply answering with a yes.

“Okay, I got toast and crackers, both plain because your mom told me it would probably make you sick otherwise. I also got some diet coke, apparently that helps, I don’t really know. If you want anything else I can go and get it for you, I’m sure you could also eat normal food if you don’t eat too much of it at once.” Probably, but Niall really didn’t wanna throw up in front of Liam again, so he would have to settle with what the older boy had brought him. 

“’m good with this for now, thanks for getting it.” Niall had forced himself to sit up a bit, happy when Liam came to sit on the mattress again as well instead of going back to work on his laptop. “I still feel really stupid for drinking that water, Harry told me not to.”

“It already happened, Ni, and at least nothing worse happened. You’ll know better next time.” Liam almost made it sound like a positive life lesson and maybe it was, because after all, not everything that had come of it was bad. The fact alone that they were now sitting in Niall’s bed together actually sounded like the best morning ever. “Did you enjoy the hiking though?”

“Hmm, I guess, yeah. I was a little worried Harry didn’t actually know the way and when we finally found back to the car it almost seemed like he was relieved, so… “ They hadn’t really talked about any of this yesterday, also because the other two had been right there of course. “You should come next time, I feel like you have a much better sense of direction than any of us.”

“I will, can’t leave you alone anymore now after all this, can I?” Liam was just joking, but Niall hoped that he really meant it and that he would come next time because he had missed him yesterday. Now that Harry and Louis had both admitted they didn’t really know what to talk to Liam about, Niall felt strangely alright with all of them hanging out, even if he was a bit afraid Louis might have let something slip about Niall’s crush. “How’s the toast?”

“Dry. But it’s alright, as long as I can keep it down I’m good. Do you want some?” Niall offered with a laugh, suddenly feeling a whole lot better and yeah, he was still making sure to keep his lap covered with his blanket and he felt a little sick still, but Liam sitting here with him with that smile on his lips, obviously not planning on going anywhere anytime soon, was truly the best possible outcome of this situation.

 

\------------------

 

“I still don’t know if this is a good idea.” Liam didn’t actually know why he had agreed, maybe because he had been so surprised by Niall suggesting it. The younger boy looked a lot better now that it was evening, he wasn’t that pale anymore, had kept all his food down all day and he hadn’t said anything about his wrist hurting in a few hours, so Liam was just relieved about that. 

“Why? You’re the one who always wants to be healthy and exercise and stuff.” They weren’t really exercising, Liam would have never allowed that, they were only going on a walk before it’d be dark outside, up that hill behind the house where they had already been a few weeks ago. Back when Liam had just been desperate to get Niall to open up to him. “And if I gotta throw up, there’s only trees and bushes anyways.”

“And a playground.” It didn’t look like Niall would throw up again though and the smile on his face would have made it impossible for Liam to say no anyways. They had literally spent all night together and then the whole day as well, Liam trying his hardest to make sure Niall was as comfortable as possible and not bored while resting at home and yeah… he had kinda enjoyed himself as well, but that was beside the point. “But I’m glad if you’re feeling so much better.”

“I am, I don’t even feel sick anymore and I think my heat is already becoming less intense, so that’s good.” He was right there, Liam could also tell, not that they had been any less cuddly with each other because of it. Liam had been worried that Niall would still be embarrassed about last night, but they hadn’t talked about it anymore, for which the older boy was actually really glad as well, because… he hadn’t forgotten about the suggestion he had made to Niall, he was aware it had been a bit weird, but he had truly been desperate to make him feel better somehow. It was nice to know though that letting Niall lie on his chest had helped him to sleep in as well. 

Because it was kinda chilly and because they had been so close all day anyways, Liam didn’t even think about it when he wrapped his arm around Niall’s shoulders, pulling him in a bit closer while they were walking, the younger’s smile making his stomach twist a bit. He was so cute, there was no denying that, he was also funny and caring and a lot of other things Liam mostly tried not to think about because he didn’t know if it was a good idea for things to go this way.

Also, he didn’t know how Niall thought about any of this either, like, yeah they had snogged before, weeks ago, so it was obvious that they both at least found each other attractive, but now that they had been living together like brothers almost… it was complicated. Even more so because though Liam had dated Omegas before, he had always found that this whole soulmate thing kinda freaked him out a bit, so he had obviously never bonded with anybody either.

In that sense, and because it would have made things easier once a month, things would have been less complicated had Niall actually been a Beta, even if most Alphas would have probably thought the exact opposite. But Liam truly tried not to be influenced by any of this, he would have treated Niall the exact same way had he been a Beta, but at least then he wouldn’t have had to think about whether Niall only wanted to have so much physical contact because Liam was an Alpha.

Not that he thought the younger boy was using him or something, it was obvious that he really liked Liam, Liam had just never liked the idea of his DNA somehow influencing who he ended up dating, because why would it matter what somebody was if he fell in love with them? 

“This is actually not comfortable at all.” Niall pointed out after they had once more lied down on the spiderweb swing together, their arms and legs brushing so they both fit.

“I know, I was wondering why you went for it a second time.” Liam laughed, not making any attempts to move though because despite the fact that his body was aching a bit, this was actually really nice. It was also easier to be close if they were outside because of Niall’s heat, but that could have also been because it was wearing off. 

“It looks like a good place to lie down.” The younger boy explained, shrugging a bit which Liam felt because of how close they were. He was right though and neither of them got back up, so it was really whatever. 

“Tell me if you get cold though so we can go back, I really don’t want you to catch a cold right now.” Or ever.

“I’m actually feeling a bit hot, that jumper is really thick.” It was Liam’s, he had given it to Niall after finding the younger boy’s jumpers to be too thin for his liking and though Niall had rolled his eyes quite a bit, he hadn’t resisted and he had allowed Liam to help put it on because of his hand. “But if _you_ feel cold we can go back.”

“No, ‘m good.” Liam actually didn’t wanna leave anytime soon now that they had made it up here, it was quiet and the air smelled as if it was going to start raining in a bit. 

They just lied quietly next to each other for a while and Liam let his eyes fall closed at some point, feeling every tiny movement that Niall made, every breath, and it was strangely comforting to know him so close by his side. It always was, being with Niall made Liam’s worries and struggles shrink somehow, as if he suddenly realized that certain things weren’t actually that bad or hopeless and that everything would be just fine. 

“Do you think my hand will be okay again when we go visit your family?” Right, they hadn’t really talked about this anymore ever since Liam had asked, but he had thought about it a lot, had felt stupid for having waited so long to ask Niall. It’s not that he had been afraid of Niall saying no, it had more been the fact that he had tried to figure out why he himself wanted the younger boy to come along so badly. 

“I think so, we still got until next week.” Hopefully it wouldn’t still bug him then because Liam would have felt even more awful for him than he already did. 

“Okay, I hope you’re right… I’m kinda nervous about meeting your mom and your sisters.” Niall confessed after some hesitation, his voice quiet.

“Why?” Liam slowly blinked his eyes open, turning his head a bit to find the younger boy having his closed as well, not noticing Liam looking at him from the side.

“I don’t know, I was also nervous before I met your dad… and you. Fuck, I was really nervous then.” He let out a short laugh, but it sounded more freaked out than amused. “I don’t even know if I’m good with kids, we don’t have any kids in my family. I’ve never even carried one.”

“It’s gonna be fine, Ni, I’m gonna be there as well. And they’re actually really well behaved. And my mom… I don’t think there’s ever been a person she genuinely disliked. She’ll like you, don’t worry about it.” If Niall had known Liam’s mother then he surely would have not been worried in the slightest, but he didn’t sadly, so he had to take Liam’s word for it and the older boy wasn’t sure if that was good enough. “If you want to though, then I can go and spend a day or two with them alone and we’ll just do stuff together after.”

“No, that’d be really rude and… it’s not that I don’t wanna meet them, it’s just making me a bit nervous is all. I just thought I should give you a warning about me never really being around kids.” He shrugged a bit, finally opening his eyes as well and when he noticed Liam already looking at him, the older boy could literally watch his cheeks growing more red. It happened so often that Liam wasn’t surprised by it anymore though he did wonder if he really had that much of an effect on the younger boy, that just a look was enough to make him a mess. “I like them, I just don’t know if I’m good with them.”

“No need to explain yourself, Nialler, ‘m sure it’ll be just fine, yeah? They both talk a lot anyways once they know you for longer than an hour, especially the younger one, you won’t even have to say all that much.” Liam was still a bit worried now, not because he thought Niall couldn’t handle his sisters but because he didn’t want this trip to be a nightmare for Niall. “And my mom talks a lot in general as well, you definitely won’t have to think of anything with her.”

“She’d get along great with mine then.” Niall pointed out and he was right, actually, Niall’s mother always asked Liam a hundred questions at once, as if she was genuinely interested in the answers and to be fair, she probably really was. Liam didn’t mind at all, he liked Niall’s mother. “I just don’t want to like… have them all hate me and then ruin your time with them.”

“Pretty sure nobody could hate you, Niall, especially not my family.” Was he really thinking that? How could anybody have looked at Niall and genuinely disliked him? “You’re a very likeable person.”

“We both know that’s not tr-“

“It is though. I was so relieved when I first met you, I had no idea what to expect. And yeah, you were being a bit moody and cranky-“ Liam interrupted himself to smile at Niall when he rolled his eyes at him. “but it wasn’t in a mean way at all. I thought it was rather cute.”

“Cute?” Niall asked with his eyebrows pulled up and yeah, maybe Liam shouldn’t have used that word but it was too late now and it was true anyways, Niall could know that, right? Also, Liam kinda wanted to see his reaction. 

“Yeah. You are cute, Niall, ‘s the first thing I noticed about you at that party too.” They had never really talked about this in depth because Niall always got really nervous and shy so Liam usually dropped it right away. Maybe it would have been a good topic to start with to talk about other stuff, but maybe not if it freaked the younger boy out so much. 

“You were probably more drunk than you thought.” Niall mumbled, he had turned his head away now and closed his eyes again and Liam tried not to laugh. God, was he genuinely that embarrassed about them having kissed? Or was it because he had been the one to initiate it all by coming on to Liam? 

“Even if I were, it’s still true anyways. You don’t have to get all nervous, Nialler, I didn’t mean to embarrass you.” Liam had known it would end like this though, but he had still wanted the younger boy to know. “I’m sorry, I’ll stop talking about it.”

Niall didn’t answer for a moment and Liam thought he was mad at him or something, so when he did speak up again, it was even more of a surprise to the older boy. Even if it was almost only a whisper. “I thought you were cute too.”

“And now?” Liam asked with a smile tugging on his lips, trying to keep his cool though. 

There was no answer, but that was actually answer enough for Liam, so he made sure to keep this moment in mind. It was kinda obvious to him that Niall liked him, Liam just wasn’t sure if the younger boy actually wanted to pursue this any further, or if he’d think it was weird because they kinda were step brothers in a lot of people’s eyes, and they lived together as well. And then of course with all this came Liam’s own worries about the whole Alpha Omega thing, so it was complicated, but still good to have kind of a chat about it. Even if Niall was probably completely unaware.

They kept on lying there in silence again and Liam moved his leg a bit so that the swing was moving too, watching the sky getting darker and luckily it never started raining after all because then they would have had to leave pretty quickly and Liam didn’t want to. Tomorrow was Monday, not exactly something he was looking forward to and he kinda had a feeling his boss was going to call him this week as well and Liam was a bit afraid of Niall’s reaction now that he knew what was up. 

It gave Liam more reason though to wanting to be extra careful and try harder, just so he didn’t come home with such obvious bruises anymore. Also, he didn’t want his sisters or his mother to ask about any of it next week either so there was that motivation as well. 

“Look… “ Niall mumbled after a while and Liam followed where he was pointing up in the sky, needing a second though to find the star the younger boy was pointing at. Or not. “Seems really early for stars.”

“It’s an airplane.” Liam told him, trying to hold back his laughter when he heard the younger boy breathing out a bit heavily next to him.

“I hate you so much sometimes.” Niall told him, in a joking way of course, and Liam couldn’t hold back anymore. “It’s not funny, Liam.”

“It’s blinking red.” Also, it was very obviously moving as well. “But we can wait until it gets darker, I’ve got nowhere to be.”

“Who says I still wanna be here with you now?” The younger boy didn’t move though, didn’t even sit up or anything and when Liam kinda turned his head and stretched a bit without thinking so he could briefly kiss Niall’s cheek, he also wasn’t breathing anymore. 

In fact, Niall might have even let himself fall more into Liam when they went back to just lying there and if Liam found Niall’s good hand after a while to just let his own rest on top of it, the younger boy never did as much as flinch. They did wait until it got way darker and when they finally walked home, the lack of streetlights made it slightly hard and freaked Niall out a bit, so obviously Liam only reached out for his hand for safety reasons. 

Because it had kind of become a habit, they also ended up in Niall’s bed together once more, after Niall had insisted on showing Liam some probably imaginary project for uni, which he could only do in his room for some reason and just because the older boy didn’t want him to have to embarrass himself even further, he simply asked if it would be alright if he stayed another night. The smile on Niall’s face made it way worth it.

 

\-------------------------

 

“Should you even be doing this with your hand and all?” Niall’s coworker seemed a bit worried watching him filling up the popcorn bags, but the boy simply shrugged as he took the money from the customers, wishing them fun during the movie before they left. 

“I don’t know, it doesn’t hurt anymore anyways. I gotta get my hours in from last Sunday.” So Niall really had no choice, also, at least he felt good otherwise and it was Thursday now so it had been a few days, he just hoped his wrist wasn’t going to get worse again. Liam had tried talking him into not going back to work just yet, but it’s not like Niall had a choice. Also thinking of Liam wasn’t a good idea at all right now because he was currently off to one of his fights and the only reason Niall even knew that was because he had accidentally walked in on Liam having a phone conversation with Zayn. The older boy hadn’t been mad at him of course, he had just seemed a bit unwilling to admit it, having tried to make up for it by driving Niall to work a few hours ago. 

There were no more customers because the last movie had already started, so Niall leaned back against the counter, getting himself prepared to wait for a very boring 90 minutes before they’d have to clean up after everyone. These were the downsides of the cinema being so damn small, they didn’t have a lot to do, but they had to definitely do it all by themselves. At least they were alone and unsupervised so they could go on their phones.

“Can I ask you something?” Niall’s coworker asked after a while, sounding a bit nervous but Niall barely noticed because he had been busy staring at the clock on his phone trying not to think about for how much longer Liam would be at whatever place he was at. 

“Um, sure.” Niall told her after putting his phone back into his pocket because a little conversation would have surely helped the time go by faster. They had known each other for a while now but had never really hung out outside work.

“You, um… you’re an Omega, right?” Oh.

“Uh, yeah. But… I’ve not really known for that long.” Better just tell her how it was, because when they had met, he had still thought he was a Beta for sure.

“Oh, okay, yeah, uh, that’s not what I meant anyways, I just… I don’t know anybody who is an Omega as well and I… I was just thinking… have you ever, like, been with an Alpha?” Okay, wait, maybe this was not the kinda conversation Niall wanted to have. 

“If you mean if I ever had sex with an Alpha, then no. Why?” Maybe she had just wanted to know what it was like, being knotted and all, but Niall actually didn’t even wanna think about that himself right now. 

“Just asking, um… “ She cleared her throat, suddenly starting to wipe the counter and Niall had a feeling that this wasn’t what she had been wanting to ask him at all. “You… you live in the same house with an Alpha though, right? Liam Payne?”

“Oh, uh, yeah. Our parents are together, so… “ It wasn’t too weird that she knew about this, they were all going to the same uni and Liam was pretty popular from what Niall had gathered, also judging by how many people had come to attend his party… the only reason Niall had probably not known him before was because Liam had been in Australia for so long.

“Sooo… you two… you’re not like… a thing, right?” One second, was she asking all this because she had a crush on Liam? Because if so then Niall wasn’t quite sure how he would deal with this situation at all. 

“No, we’re not, um… why?” Niall had needed a second before he had been ready to force himself to say it out loud, because even if they were now casually holding hands once a while and had shared the same bed every night since Saturday, Niall couldn’t go around telling people that they were together. They weren’t, and they would never be either, Liam was just worried about him still. 

“Just asking for a friend.” The girl shrugged, but her face had gotten bright red so it was obvious that she had been asking for herself and honestly, it got Niall slightly upset. He knew he had no right to be jealous, but it suddenly really stressed him out because what if Liam started dating somebody? It would all stop from one day to the other, he wouldn’t sleep in Niall’s bed anymore, he wouldn’t be home a lot anymore either and there was absolutely nothing Niall could have done to stop it. “Is it true that he’s dealing drugs?”

“I- what?” What the fuck?!

“I don’t know, I heard it from someone when I first started uni. I think they said they bought something from him or so… maybe I confused the story, it was two years ago.” Fuck, now Niall was immediately on the edge again and he had already been worried enough about Liam because of the fighting, but… what if Liam had lied to him? What if he had gotten into fights because he was actually a drug dealer?! Niall was going to go insane at some point. “He’s a model though, right?”

“Um, yeah.” Did she not know his Instagram? Honestly, Niall was kinda done with this conversation now, how come whoever he talked to only wanted to talk about Liam? There was no way this drug dealing thing was true, no bloody way, Liam wouldn’t have lied to him like that and he was being way too concerned about his health to do anything like that. 

“He really has the looks for it.” Niall’s coworker was now proper swooning over him, probably thinking she was being subtle or something, or maybe it was Niall’s jealousy taking over a little. She surely wasn’t the only person who had a crush on Liam, in this room alone two out of two people had a crush on him and honestly… Niall had never really thought about that. “Maybe… you know, I mean… we’ve never really, uh, hung out outside work, but-“

“I don’t think Liam wants me to play matchmaker.” It wasn’t really Niall’s fault that he snapped, he had had a long day and he wasn’t 100% healthy and this was really just the cheery on top. 

“What? No, that’s not at all what I meant. I’ve got a friend who’s had a crush on him for ages, you know, I keep telling her it’s going nowhere… just thought I’d, um, ask.” She tried to talk herself out of it, clearly embarrassed now and Niall didn’t know what else to say and he really didn’t wanna start a fight now. Over Liam. 

Needless to say, the rest of their shift went over kinda quiet and Niall was actually really glad once all the customers were gone and they could just go and clean up and not talk. Niall was really busy anyways worrying about Liam and about what his coworker had said about the drugs and even if he knew it was probably bullshit… it also wasn’t really calming.

And who knew if Liam was alright, who knew where he even was right now and when he’d come back. Niall really hated this, he had hated it before, but he hated it even more now that he knew that he hadn’t been worrying for nothing, that Liam wasn’t just out with his mates. Well, to be fair, some of them probably were his mates, but like… that didn’t make things any better. 

When Niall finally walked out of the cinema, he couldn’t help but be a little disappointed that Liam wasn’t there to pick him up like he had before even if he should have expected it. It took actual ages until Niall was finally at home and lying in his bed, his mood having dropped even more once he had checked Liam’s empty and dark room even though he had already seen that his car wasn’t there.

Niall had to get up tomorrow for uni and it was already 1 in the morning, but he simply couldn’t manage to sleep without knowing if Liam was alright. So even though Niall knew it was probably pointless and annoying, he still decided to text him, just so he could say that he had tried.

 

_To Liam 01:07  
Are u ok? When are u gonna be back?_

 

Niall pressed send before he could have changed his mind, his heart beating fast for a few minutes before he realized that he would never get a text back. Maybe in a few hours, but Niall still decided to put his phone on loud before trying to sleep again. Unsuccessfully.

Maybe Niall had been about to drift off at some point, only to jerk awake again a second later when he received a text message. At first, Niall really thought that maybe it was from someone else, but he felt relief spreading through him when he read it, his cheeks turning hot even though nobody could see him anyways.

 

_Liam 01:48  
Im on my way. Sleep in my bed? You don’t need to wait up, im fine x_

 

Yeah, Niall felt sleepy now, but not sleepy enough to stay in his own bed and it took him an embarrassingly short amount of time to quietly walk over into Liam’s room and lie in his instead with every intention of staying awake of course, but now that he knew Liam was alright… it was kinda hard to. 

Niall must have fallen asleep, because he barely woke up when he felt the mattress moving a bit right before Liam’s arm wrapped around his waist, pulling him in closer and the younger boy felt himself relax as he breathed him in. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, it’s all good. Go back to sleep, Nialler.” Liam whispered back, not at all sounding as if he was hurt or anything so Niall did as he had been told, but not before blindly searching for the older’s hand.

At this point, Niall wasn’t even sure anymore whether he would have been able to sleep by himself because he had so gotten used to this, he was just hoping that he wouldn’t have to find out anytime soon. 

 

\------------------

 

“Are you nervous?” Liam didn’t actually know why he asked because it was obvious. Niall had been biting his nails like a madman for at least half an hour now and the older boy felt really bad for him but there was nothing he could have done to help him. “You can wait at the apartment, if-“

“No, no, I’m fine.” Niall had been pretty impressed by the apartment once they had gotten there after a few hours of driving, but they had only stayed for like 10 minutes before getting into the car again to drive to the school Liam’s sisters both went to. His mom and her husband were still at work, so they had planned it all out a few days ago and Liam had made sure to ask Niall whether he was good with it but the younger boy had told him he was fine with whatever. 

His wrist had healed since that Saturday, or at least he didn’t talk about it anymore, so Liam hoped he wasn’t just trying to ignore it or something. Somehow Liam felt that they were a lot closer since all this had happened, since their walk up the hill and since they had kinda gotten used to sleeping in the same bed every single night. Of course their parents must have noticed, but no one ever said anything and Liam kinda had a feeling that Niall’s mother especially wasn’t too unhappy about it.

Still, they hadn’t really talked about where any of this would go and Liam still didn’t know if Niall even wanted it to go somewhere at all. One thing was for sure though, the younger boy definitely never said no to a cuddle or when Liam reached out for his hand because he did it the other way around at least as many times as Liam. And ever since last week when Liam had been gone for a fight and then had had to unexpectedly go to two more on the weekend, Niall had waited up for him each time, holding an ice pack on a bruise on his cheek and not saying anything while putting disinfectant on Liam’s bleeding knuckles, but it was still enough to make the older boy feel guilty as hell.

At the same time though, he was glad that he had told Niall and getting away from home for a few days with him honestly felt like the best thing ever right now so Liam really didn’t want the younger boy to feel nervous or uncomfortable.

“I’m just a bit tired, that’s all.” Niall was clearly lying, although he had taken a nap or two because they had gotten in quite a bit of traffic, which Liam had expected though because it was London after all. “Your sisters go to a private school, right?”

“Yeah. Why?” Liam was a bit distracted trying to follow both Niall’s words and navigating the car around. 

“Do they know you there? I mean, can you just pick them up from school?” Maybe Niall was worried that they would get into trouble or something, Liam understood that, but he had done this a hundred times before.

“My mom called the school to let them know just in case, so it’s all good. And I also got two car seats for them in the back, so no worries.” Usually Liam just kept them in his trunk, because he didn’t really see his sisters all that often, let alone drive them around in his car, but still often enough so that it made sense to own those kinda things. “They’ll be so excited to meet you, they’ve wanted to ever since I first told them about you.”

“They’ll be a lot more excited to see you.” That was true, they were keeping it all a surprise from the kids, so Liam was really excited as well, but he didn’t wanna exclude Niall or anything, he really wanted him here with him to meet his family. Even more so ever since the last two weeks somehow. “Have you even seen them since you went to Australia?”

“Yeah, ‘course, I went home twice for a few days each, but not since I’ve been back. Already feels like it never happened somehow.” Especially since Niall and his mother had moved in so shortly after Liam had come back home and ever since then he had had so many things on his mind that his time abroad seemed unimportant. “Did you know I was gonna stay away for another year originally?”

“Wait, what?” That clearly shocked Niall a bit and Liam wondered whether he was thinking the same as him right now when their eyes briefly met as Liam stopped the car yet again. 

“Yeah, but after I’ve been there for a few months I decided I’d rather come back home sooner. We might have never met like that if I hadn’t.” Liam said it for a reason, because he wanted to see Niall’s reaction, it was something he had started doing without really planning on it, he just kinda… he wanted his suspicions confirmed before he spoke up about a few things. “Then you could have had the nicer room.”

“Your room looks exactly like mine.” Was all Niall said, but his cheeks were definitely more pink than before. “I wouldn’t have taken your room anyways even if I hadn’t known you.”

“Mine’s a lot cleaner though.” Liam teased, jokingly of course, he just wanted to distract Niall before they’d arrive at the school, make sure he wasn’t too tense or nervous. There really was absolutely no reason to be. 

“Mine is clean as well, I just spend more time in it. We both do.” When Niall added the last part, he said it a lot quieter and it seemed he immediately regretted it though it was the truth. Liam did spend a lot of time in Niall’s room, in his bed mostly. 

“We’ll do a cleaning day sometime, it’ll be fun.” They did everything else together as well, so why not?

“ _Fun?_ You can clean if you wanna, I’m not gonna stop you, I’ll watch.” It made Liam laugh to hear the slight panic in the younger’s voice, as if he was afraid Liam might have really taken him up on that and it reminded him of when they had been planting stuff in the garden together, or pretty much whenever they did the dishes together because suddenly, Niall always had a hundred messages to read on his phone. Which was fine, Liam didn’t mind, he might have minded with everybody else, but not with Niall. 

Since they were almost at the school now, Liam made sure to look for an empty parking space, noticing Niall looking out of the window a bit intensely as soon as he had found one. “We still got ten more minutes or so, do you wanna wait in the car or should we just wait there?”

“Let’s wait there, so they don’t think they’ve been forgotten about or something.” Niall decided after a moment, letting out a nervous laugh though and Liam would have reached out for his hand had the younger not already opened the passenger door. If he was this nervous about meeting two children, Liam didn’t even wanna imagine how he must have been feeling about meeting his mother in a bit. 

“They’ll love you, Ni, especially once you give them the presents.” Liam’s mother always told him that he shouldn’t buy them too much, but he still did it anyways.

“You bought them, not me.” True, but Niall had come with him a few days ago and Liam thought it’d be a good idea if the younger boy was the one to give it to them, to break the ice a little bit maybe. 

“So? They don’t know that. And I’ve still got the stuff I bought them in Australia.” Which again, his mother would hate, but what did she expect? “It’ll be fine, don’t worry.”

“Yeah… ‘m more nervous about meeting your mother anyways. And her husband.” Thank god Liam’s grandparents wouldn’t be there as well, otherwise Liam might have had to genuinely worry about Niall’s well being. “But it’s all good, I’m fine.”

“I’ll be there the whole time, I won’t let it get weird, promise. Everyone will like you.” Liam made sure to wrap his arm around the younger’s shoulders while they were walking down the sidewalk, squeezing him a bit in hopes that it would help a bit. It did make Liam wonder whether he would have felt the same if Niall had had more family than just his mother because they were definitely close and stuff and… there might have been the wish to leave a good impression for multiple reasons. 

They didn’t go inside the school building, they just waited outside by the fence with a few parents and Liam was getting really excited, which Niall commented twice with a smile on his face. He was obviously happy for Liam, he was just unsure and the older boy really hoped that all this would pass very soon, hopefully within the next few hours once they were at his mother’s place.

It did worry Liam for a moment that maybe his sisters wouldn’t even be that happy about seeing him and maybe somebody should have told them beforehand, but those brief thoughts quickly disappeared when Liam was proven very wrong.

There were a lot of kids getting to go home at the same time, and a lot of parents picking them up, so it took a moment until Liam saw them and the other way around. They must have waited for each other inside because they weren’t in the same class obviously, both wearing the same school uniform and holding hands, even though that didn’t last very long.

“ _Liam!_ ” It was Ruth, the older one, who saw Liam first and almost immediately abandoned her sister in favor of running over to them and Liam couldn’t even say anything about it because almost as soon as he had leaned down a bit, she had already thrown herself at him, her arms so tight around his neck as if she was trying to strangle him. 

“Hi, love, how was school? I missed you.” Liam picked her up easily even if her schoolbag was a bit in the way, her legs immediately wrapping around him as well. “Hi, Nici.”

“Are you gonna stay?!” Liam’s youngest sister was trying to hug him as well as far as possible, but she was good with just holding his free hand and excitedly jumping up and down then because her sister refused to let go of Liam anyways. Fuck, now Liam knew again why he always had such a hard time going back home after coming to visit. 

“Yeah, I’m staying for a bit, if that’s okay with you guys.” It was only when Liam smiled down at his youngest sister and was about to tell them to say hi to Niall that he realized that Ruth wasn’t just happy to see him, it seemed she was completely overwhelmed. “You okay, Ruthie?”

“I m-missed you s-so m-much.” She was actually crying into his neck, which came as quite a shock because she didn’t usually whenever Liam came to visit and it caused his heart to sink, his own eyes suddenly feeling a bit wet. 

“Hey, hey, it’s okay… I missed you too, a lot. There’s no need to cry, love.” But who was Liam to tell her that, right? This wasn’t really going how he had thought it would and now he had one of the girls crying and the other one tugging on his arm and in all this mess, Niall was of course standing there as well, clearly holding back though because he didn’t wanna interfere. Honestly, Liam felt like an asshole now for not having come visit sooner, he had really been away longer than usually if he thought about it. “Can you look at me?”

“N-No.” Somehow, and even though she was clinging to him for her dear life, it seemed Ruth was upset with him at the same time, which of course only made Liam feel worse because having his 7 year old sister be upset with him for never coming to visit her was a pretty shitty feeling. And he really had no one to blame but himself. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t come visit sooner… I promise I’m gonna come hang out with you guys a lot more from now on, okay? And we’re gonna have so much fun today and tomorrow and I didn’t even show you the presents yet I got you when I was away.” Liam was really trying here, at the same time fighting back his own tears as he kissed the side of his sister’s head. 

“Presents?!” Of course that was the only part the youngest girl chose to focus on, and at least she seemed more than happy grinning up at Liam. 

“Yeah, I’m gonna give them to you when we get home, okay? And look who else I brought, did you even say hi to Niall yet?” It was the first time that Liam looked at Niall again after he had seen his sisters coming over and he wasn’t quite sure what to make of his facial expressions right now, but he tried to be encouraging. “You were asking me when you could meet him, remember?”

“Yeah… hi.” It seemed neither of them had taken notice of Niall before, but at least Nicola waved at him, suddenly getting a bit shy and half hiding behind Liam. 

“Hi, you’re Nicola, right?” Though Niall had acted so nervous about it before, he seemed completely relaxed now, smiling at her and everything and Liam managed to calm down a little as well. 

“Nici.” She corrected him, quietly though, but at least she stopped hiding half behind Liam. 

“I’ll make sure to remember that.” He joked and it made her smile, so that was at least something good, even if Ruth was still refusing to look up. 

Liam quickly suggested they walk back to the car because he only now realized how crowded it was becoming with all the children getting picked up, making sure to have a tight grip on both his sisters and keep Niall in sight at the same time. It was kinda funny honestly, the fact that they were all together now, somehow all siblings in a way but in reality not at all. 

“Can I put you down for a moment?” Once they had gotten to the car, Liam realized he hadn’t put the car seats for the kids in the back yet, and he literally had no hand free and there were also cars driving past, so he was slightly overwhelmed.

“I’ll do it.” Niall luckily jumped in immediately when Ruth again refused to let go of Liam, taking the keys out of the older’s pockets so he could get the seats out of the trunk. “Um… I’ve never done this before.”

“Just make sure you put the seatbelt through a- yeah, like that. Thanks, Nialler.” Liam threw a quick smile at him, kinda feeling a bit stressed now because of this whole situation. This was not exactly going like plan.

Getting them both in their seats usually wasn’t hard because they were both old enough of course, but it was a little bit hard now when one of them refused to let go of Liam, so he was more than relieved when Niall went to help Nicola and she didn’t seem to mind, even telling him when he messed up the seat buckle, so Liam could focus on his other sister.

“Hey… there’s no need to be sad, okay? I didn’t mean to make you upset with me.” Once Liam had finally gotten Ruth to sit in her seat as well, his heart sunk again when he saw her tear stained face, trying to wipe it a bit with his thumbs.

“I’m not upset... just a bit.” She mumbled, sniffing a bit though and not really wanting to look at Liam but because he was practically standing on the street now, he didn’t really have a lot of time to talk about it either. 

“I’m really sorry for not visiting in so long. I love you.” Liam kissed her forehead briefly, reaching over to ruffle Nicola’s hear shortly until she was laughing before standing up straight again, about to close the door. “Watch your fingers.”

“’kay… love you too.” She was barely whispering it, right before Liam closed the door, but he had still heard it and it made his heart feel a little lighter. Had he known things would turn out like this, he would have done all this a whole lot differently. 

They weren’t too far away from where Liam’s mother lived, but because of the traffic it seemed to take ages anyways. Nicola asked him five times whether he was really gonna spend the day with them tomorrow, and luckily she also asked if Niall was going to come as well, seeming somewhat happy when Liam told her yes so that was good. Ruth calmed down a bit as well though she wasn’t saying all that much and she also immediately came back to hold Liam’s hand as soon as they had arrived. 

“Does mommy know that you are here?” The younger one wanted to know as Liam unlocked the front door with his spare key. 

“Of course she does, she’s gonna be home in a bit, she’s still at work. Hey, take your shoes off.” They always kinda thought they could get away with stuff when it was Liam watching them and it was true that they did a lot of them time, but not when it came to things like that. Plus their mother’s place was always super clean. 

“I wanna show you my new room.” Nicola had literally taken her shoes and jacket off within two seconds and thrown her backpack somewhere, now even more excited than before, her face suddenly getting really shocked though when she seemed to have a realization. “Niall has never seen my room before.”

“I’m sure he’d love to see it.” Liam was so relieved now, for a moment he had been afraid his sisters would actually be too shy to even acknowledge Niall, but it now seemed that that wasn’t the case at all. “I’ll be there in a second.”

“Okay! Come on.” She was talking to Niall now, who threw a quick look at Liam before following her down the hallway, hopefully being okay with being alone with her for a moment so that Liam could use the chance to talk to Ruth for a minute. 

“Are you still mad at me?” Liam sat down on the small bench in the entrance room while his sister was busy taking off her shoes and putting up her jacket, doing the same with Nicola’s things as well because she had simply thrown it somewhere.

“No… I’m not mad. I just… “ Then she broke off, just standing there in the middle of the room, but she didn’t hesitate when Liam opened his arms a bit. 

“You just what?” He asked while lifting her on his lap, a bit torn between wanting to make sure Niall was doing alright with his other sister, but also wanting to figure this out. 

“I just wish we could see you more often.” Ruth finally told him, not crying again, but still sounding so sad that it was hurting Liam’s heart.

“I know, love… I’m sorry, I’m going to try and come here more often, or have you and Nici come stay with me for a bit during the summer break. I promise I’ll never stay away for as long again.” Could he promise this though? Liam had already done it anyways, hugging his sister a bit closer, also because he didn’t want her to see his face right now. “Can you forgive me? If not maybe the presents I got you could change that.”

“Um… maybe.” She almost seemed shy about admitting it now, but Liam at least got a smile out of her, even though it was barely there. 

“Okay, c’mon, then we gotta go to Nici’s room, Niall has it in his backpack.” Speaking of him… “Can you maybe do me a favor?”

“What favor?” Ruth seemed curious after Liam had put her down again so he could get up as well, lowering his voice even if he was pretty sure the others couldn’t hear him anyways. 

“Be nice to Niall? You don’t have to talk to him if you don’t want t-“

“I do, I just, um, I was a bit, uh… nervous.” She admitted and Liam really got it of course, because Niall was a stranger to them after all. “I’ll tell Nici, she’ll like anyone who plays dolls with her. They’re probably already playing dolls right now.”

“Maybe.” Liam had to laugh when he saw her rolling her eyes, leaning down briefly to kiss the top of her head before walking down the hallway with her to join the others.

Niall hadn’t yet been forced to play dolls, but he also didn’t seem too uncomfortable while Nicola was showing him her room and all her toys and once Liam got out the presents for the girls, the whole mood shifted to a lot more positive anyways. Ruth stayed glued to his side pretty much the entire time, but Nicola seemed to luckily have taken a real quick liking to Niall, especially after he had helped her unboxing something and for 30 minutes or so, they were all just in her room, playing with the toys Liam had bought. 

That quickly changed when they all heard a key in the door lock. 

“Mommy!” Nicola was up first, taking a plushie with her that Liam had gotten her in Australia and her sister followed, leaving Niall and Liam alone for a moment.

“Hey… everything okay so far?” Liam made sure to hold Niall back for a second, rubbing his hand between the younger’s shoulder blades because as relaxed as he had seemed before with the girls, all of that seemed to have vanished. And his face had gotten paler than Liam had ever seen it.

“Um, yeah.” Niall was lying, clearly, he even faked a smile and Liam felt another rush of guilt. Maybe all this hadn’t been a good idea, maybe it was too much at once for Niall, but there was no way to change it anymore now. “Your sisters are really cute.”

“You’re really good with them, not like you feared, okay? Don’t be nervous, I’m here and it’s just my mom.” Just because Liam didn’t really know how else to help him and though he knew that maybe it was making it all seem a bit dramatic, he went and hugged the younger boy, only now realizing how little they had touched today which maybe explained Niall almost immediately melting into him. “It’ll be fine.”

“Okay… “ The younger boy mumbled, holding onto Liam a bit too tightly though.

When they finally walked out of the room and back to the front door, Liam went first, his mother still busy looking at the toys the girls were showing her that Liam had bought them. “Hi, mom.”

“Oh, there you are, Li. How much have you bought them? I told you you’re spoiling them too much.” Though she rolled her eyes, she was smiling when she went to hug Liam, kissing his cheek. “It’s so good to have you here, the girls kept asking when you’d come and we all really missed you.”

“I know, I missed you all too, I’m sorry.” Again, but Liam genuinely had been busy and before that he had been away and well… Niall. “This is Niall.”

“Ah, right, hi, Niall, so nice to meet you. I already heard lots about you.” She went to shake Niall’s hand after letting go of Liam and at least the younger boy didn’t seem too nervous when he spoke to her.

“Nice to meet you too, th-“

“Mommy, can I open it, pleeease?” Apparently, Liam’s mother had brought pizza for all of them and the girls were dying to open the cartons. 

“Nici, what have I told you about interrupting people? We’ll eat in a bit, okay? You can go and set the table then we’ll be quicker. Ruth, you go help her too. And change out of your uniforms, I don’t want stains on them again.” The girls seemed annoyed, but they did give in and walked away, making Liam’s mother sigh. “Sorry, they’re always so riled up after school. I hope they weren’t bugging you boys too much before, I still can’t believe you’d wanna help Liam babysit them tomorrow out of your free will, Niall. If he’s forcing you to do it then tell me now, I can help you, just blink.”

“Mom.” Liam rolled his eyes at her joke, but at least it had made Niall laugh. 

“It was just a joke, Liam, my god. But I’m glad you’re both here, how’d it go when you picked the girls up, were they surprised? And how was the drive?” She was already walking into the kitchen with the pizza cartons while still talking, so they followed her and when Liam shared a look with Niall just to check in with him silently, it seemed the younger’s nervousness had faded a bit.

Things were somehow not weird in any way once they were eating, it was almost as if Liam was here doing this all the time, as if Niall had already met them all before as well and despite the fact that Liam had been stressed out before, he was really glad now that they had decided to do it all this way.

One thing Liam took the most notice of though was the way it made him feel to see Niall interacting with his family. See him talking to his mom all casual after a while, answering her questions and laughing along when she’d say things just to embarrass Liam. And then of course seeing him with his sisters again later when they were playing with them, Ruth staying glued to Liam still, but Nicola having warmed up to Niall so quickly that she even ended up climbing on his lap as if she did it every day. 

There was just something about seeing Niall interacting with her that turned Liam’s heart to absolute mush and then combined with these past few days since Niall had gotten hurt and sick… it made it quite obvious to Liam that they should have this talk that he had been wanting to have for a bit now. Even though Niall probably had no idea about any of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys :) i hope you enjoyed this chapter!!
> 
> i hope no one is too disappointed i didnt end up having liam help niall out because i promise that VERY soon things between will get a lot more intense (hint: probably within the next two chapters)
> 
> as a reminder once again, i am going on vacation on the 25th, so this is the new upload schedule for the next two weeks ( i will also put this in the description i think):  
> Chapter 10: 22nd of July (so in two days!)  
> Chapter 11: 24th of July   
> and then there is a break until the 10th of August! so you can read it all at once or one every week, however you wanna do it, i would really really appreciate feedback tho because i'm going to be on the train a lot so id have time to answer you guys if you wanna leave a comment or so! <3
> 
> thank you for all the support!


	10. Chapter 10

“Are you coming to pick us up again tomorrow after school?“ Niall watched Liam saying goodbye to his sisters, or trying to because they seemed very unhappy that he was leaving them for the night. 

“Yeah. And then we’ll do something fun, okay?” Liam told them, seemingly a bit surprised when Ruth went to hug him again even though they had barely been apart the past few hours. Niall felt really bad for the girls, it was obvious that they adored Liam and that they really wanted him to spend more time with them, which was hard because of the distance and it was clearly affecting Liam as well.

Still, Niall was glad that he had come along, even if he had almost been shitting his pants. Liam’s sisters were really sweet kids, his mother was more than nice and though they had only spent about an hour with her husband, he seemed alright as well. Most of all though, Niall really appreciated how they were all welcoming him as if it was completely normal that he was there as well and it had really helped with his nervousness. 

Liam’s mother was still standing there as well, just watching them all say goodbye in the most dramatic way, but she seemed rather sad about it as well even though they’d come back tomorrow anyways and Niall really got it. If Liam rarely came home then a few days really were nothing at all, even if he talked on the phone with them all the time and it made Niall wonder whether Liam would have moved here had he been able to. It kinda gave Niall a few shivers in a not so great way.

“Okay… you two should really go to bed, you don’t wanna be tired for the surprise tomorrow, right?” Liam put his sister down once more after having picked her up for a moment, but then of course he had to do the same to the younger one and altogether, Niall had stopped believing that they would ever leave. Not that he was mad about it, he felt really bad for those girls. “Sleep tight, I love you. And be good in school.”

When they both told Liam they loved him too Niall kinda wanted to cry a little, especially looking at their sad faces once they had said goodbye to Liam’s mother again, but before they walked out of the apartment, Niall was a little more than just surprised when Nicola briefly wrapped her arms around his middle as well. “Bye, Niall.”

“Bye… I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?” He smiled down at her, shortly putting his hand on the top of her head as she nodded before letting go once more. 

They did leave for real eventually, and Niall was actually a little bit worried about Liam when they were walking down the stairs towards the exit of the building. “Are you okay?”

“I guess, yeah… are you?” Liam was smiling at Niall, but it didn’t really reach his eyes and just because the situation made it not so weird, the younger boy wrapped his arm around Liam’s waist without thinking, still really happy though when Liam immediately pulled him closer as well. 

“Yeah. I feel really stupid now for ever having been nervous.” Okay, maybe he wasn’t completely cured from it, but he definitely felt a lot more comfortable thinking about tomorrow now. 

“It’s okay, I get that you were nervous, I would have been too… but see, they like you, Nicola especially. She’s gonna be hanging all over you tomorrow at the zoo, just to warn you.” Liam laughed, clearly happy about this outcome though and Niall was too. They had spent at least 5 hours at the apartment, playing with the kids and helping them with their homework and talking to Liam’s mom and it had been a lot more fun than Niall would have hoped. Even… even if, okay, he was a little glad he got Liam to himself for a few hours, even if that sounded selfish as hell. 

“That’s okay, ‘m just glad if they don’t hate me. And they’re really sweet kids.” When they had reached the car they were forced to let go of each other, which Niall wasn’t too happy about. He had really enjoyed seeing Liam with his sisters, it was a completely different side of him that he had never seen before and yeah, Liam was always nice to people and especially to Niall, but he was just so good with children and funny and making them laugh and playing with them and it’d be a lie to say it hadn’t caused Niall to swoon a bit, silently. 

“D’you wanna do something or do you wanna go home?” Liam asked once they had both gotten into the car and Niall thought about it for a moment, but before he was able to tell Liam that he wouldn’t mind just going back to his dad’s apartment, he already had to yawn, making the older boy smile. “I guess that answers the question.” 

“The drive made me really tired.” Also, Niall hadn’t slept too well at night because of how nervous he had been, but Liam didn’t know about that because Niall hadn’t wanted to wake and worry him. So instead he had just been lying there watching Liam sleeping next to him like a creep. 

“We still got a few more days anyways. Are you hungry?” Liam’s mother had constantly offered them food, but they had both declined almost everything, so when Niall nodded while being unable to suppress another yawn, Liam didn’t seem to mind it when he suggested they should stop on the way back. 

It was somehow strange to be staying in this apartment with only Liam and nobody else there, not in a bad way or anything, it actually made Niall feel a little giddy with excitement. There wasn’t much in this place and it also wasn’t especially big because Liam’s dad only used it for a night or two at a time, but the younger boy didn’t mind at all. Especially not about the one bedroom situation, because let’s be honest… they would have ended up in the same bed anyways, but it spared Niall the excuses.

“Is it really okay if we eat in here?” Niall was slightly worried about the white sheets once they had both showered and Liam came over from the bathroom wearing only sweatpants, so it was actually a wonder Niall was able to concentrate on anything else.

“Sure, I’m gonna wash the sheets anyways before we leave, my dad will never even know.” He seemed to be in a good mood, having brought the food with him from where they had put it in the kitchen when they had come inside a few minutes ago. “He texted me by the way, to ask how things are going, I told him you said hi.”

“Okay… um, does he always let you use this place?” Just because Niall would have thought it would have made it a lot easier for Liam to come here more often if that was the case.

“No, not always, he rents it out to tourists and stuff when he knows he won’t need it for that long, so we actually got lucky. But I would have gotten us a hotel otherwise, that would have been fine as well.” When Liam got in bed as well, Niall could immediately smell him a lot more intensely, so he made sure to get distracted by his food as quickly as possible. “Sometimes I also sleep on my mom’s couch, so… “

“Your sisters would have probably really liked that.” And Niall had ruined it for them by coming along. 

“Yeah, but… you know, I really love them and I know they wanna see me all the time and it makes me feel like shit because I feel like an ass whenever I don’t have time, but… it’s also not good when we spend every second together when I’m visiting, because you could bet they’d try to stay up if I was there and they knew I was still awake, they’ve done that countless times. Or sleep in the living room with me and… it doesn’t really make things easier once I’m leaving again, so… it’s a lot better like this.” Liam didn’t at all sound as if he was doing this for Niall, so the younger boy was really relieved, but also… he had a little bit more on his mind.

“Have you ever… you know, thought about moving here?” Obviously he wouldn’t do that right now, he was almost finished with his degree and Niall was pretty sure he couldn’t leave because of his boss, but… it didn’t mean Liam didn’t wanna move here. Or that maybe he would as soon as he was finished with uni and just that thought gave Niall a little, or a lot of, anxiety. 

“Sure, countless times. But it’s not for me, I’ve got my whole life at home and as much as I love my sisters, do you think they’d still be this excited to spend time with me if they saw me every day? Probably not.” Liam laughed and Niall felt a lot more relaxed when he smiled a bit, not wanting to be too happy about it though. “They’ll be okay, if that’s what you mean. I just haven’t been here in a while, I’ll make sure to change that now. And you’re welcome to come along as well whenever you want.”

“Thank you… “ Niall would have, not only because he wanted to spend time with Liam but because he was genuinely enjoying himself somehow. Still, there was this one thing that wouldn’t leave his mind. “Um… I just… I was wondering, and you don’t have to answer this, but, uh… does your boss not get mad if you go away for a few days?”

Niall almost instantly regretted asking this when he saw Liam’s face getting a bit harder as he let out a sigh, just picking at his food for a moment and he was actually almost about to tell the older boy to just forget that he had ever brought this up. “It’s not usual that he calls me as often as the last few days… I’m sorry if you were worried. He knows I’m here and he doesn’t care… as long as I come back.”

“And… if you didn’t?” Did Niall wanna know the answer to this question? Somehow it also made him think about what his coworker had told him, about the drugs, and it did make him wonder for a moment if maybe this situation Liam had gotten himself into was actually even more dangerous and illegal than Niall already thought.

“He knows I will… if I don’t he’s gonna make sure to make me, so… but it’s whatever really, it’s not like he’s controlling my whole life or something, it’s a job and I don’t always dread going, it’s… complicated.” Liam finally concluded, throwing a look at Niall, who had just been mindlessly staring at him, or the fading bruise on his cheekbone more like. It was barely noticeable now, but in that lighting and because Niall knew the exact place after having held an ice pack there for good half an hour, anybody would have seen it. “One day I’ll just be too old for it and he’ll kick me out and then it’s over anyways.”

“What if he doesn’t?” What if he found other things for Liam to do? Because he already knew how to make sure he did what he was being told?

“He will, he’s done it to others, it’s not a cult or anything. He just wants to make money and… I’m good at helping him win his bets.” Liam let out a sigh and Niall flinched a bit when the older boy unexpectedly moved closer towards him. “Ni, you don’t have to worry about me, I know what I’m doing and I can take care of myself.”

“I know that, but I’m still worried anyways… I was also worried before when I didn’t even know what was going on, and now that I do… “ Now it was unbearable, to lie in bed and just wait for Liam to come back home, not knowing whether he’d be alright. Or whether he’d even make it, because it wouldn’t have been the first time he had had to go to hospital now would it? “I know it’s none of my business, but… I care about you. I can’t just turn that off.” 

Liam was quiet for a moment while Niall felt his cheeks turning hotter as he refused to look at the older boy, feeling like an idiot for getting sentimental now but if there was just the tiniest chance that it would make Liam be more careful or whatever, Niall had to take it. Also, it was what Zayn had kinda suggested to him the day Liam had told Niall the truth, but the younger boy had no idea how he would have helped Liam by being annoying and clingy.

Even if Liam didn’t seem to think so. 

“C’mere… “ The older boy mumbled before pulling Niall into a hug, kinda awkwardly because they were on the bed and from the side, but Niall immediately let himself fall against him, closing his eyes as he put his head on Liam’s shoulder. “I’m sorry… I’ve never… I’ve never told anybody who didn’t already know and I don’t really know how to deal with it. All my closer friends are in this as well, I’ve met some of them through it even and… you’re the only one who is on the outside and who knows. I should have thought more about how it’d make you feel before telling you.”

“I’m glad you told me, I wanted you to.” If he hadn’t, Niall would have probably pushed him to do it this week anyways. 

“I know, but it was still selfish of me. I never wanted you having to deal with it and waiting up at home worrying about me or having to pick me up from hospital or… putting ice on my bruises and wiping blood from my hands.” Liam sounded so sad while saying it that Niall almost pulled away from the hug just to look at him, but instead, he made sure to hold onto Liam’s arm around him, keeping it in place. 

“You always take care of me too.” It was true, a lot more than the other way around. 

“That’s different.” The older boy let out another sigh, simply tightening his hug though when Niall got scared he’d let go of him, resting his cheek against the younger’s head. “I promise I’m not going to get hurt, the bruises are just what I’d have after training anyways, it’s nothing. I don’t lose fights, I won’t get hurt.”

Maybe he should have lost them though, so his boss would lose interest, but Niall didn’t say anything because he knew there was no use. It hadn’t been his intention to have this conversation now and for it to go so deep, but it was still something that was almost always in the back of his head ever since he had found out about it. 

Since Niall didn’t really know what to say anymore, he just stayed quiet, tried to enjoy the embrace and get rid of his worries because right now there actually wasn’t anything to worry about anyways. No matter how hard he tried, he wouldn’t get Liam to do anything about his situation and sometimes it even seemed like he didn’t want to, which was fine as long as he wouldn’t get hurt and if it wouldn’t bring any consequences with it. Sadly though, that was impossible to foresee and Niall had a really bad feeling about it. 

“I’m really glad you came along.” Liam told him after a while, almost as if he wanted to distract him or make him feel better, but Niall decided to feel a bit happy about it anyways.

“Why?” He just wanted to know, just to make sure Liam really meant it.

“Well one, I’d be really bored by myself now, two I’ve been wanting you to meet my family and they wanted to meet you as well and three, I like spending time with you.” The older boy squeezed him a bit after saying it and just when Niall was about to answer, he kinda let his mouth close again by itself, feeling his face growing hotter. “And four, I’ve gotten really used to sleeping next to you.”

Niall felt the same way about it and he wasn’t making a secret about it either, but hearing Liam say it just like that caused his stomach to twist and his palms to get sweaty and like… that was a good thing, right? If Liam was so used to sleeping next to him, that meant he wouldn’t just randomly decide to stop and it had to mean that he was somehow enjoying it as well. 

“Um, me too.” Was all Niall choked out after a moment of hesitation, but then again, why would he be embarrassed about saying it when Liam had literally just done the exact same thing? “I’m glad I came too… “

There was a moment where Niall thought Liam was going to say something, but he couldn’t see his face and he didn’t end up saying anything anyways, so instead Niall let himself fall more into the older boy, knowing they’d have to get up again and put away the rest of their food, but for now, this was really nice. Honestly, Niall actually didn’t want anything right now other than to kiss Liam, and the realization hit him so suddenly that it got his heart beating faster just imaging it.

He didn’t usually have these thoughts because he didn’t allow himself to, but somehow he had had a little slip up in his mind control and now it was literally everything he could think about. The worst part was that he KNEW how it felt like to kiss Liam already because he had done it, so it wasn’t like he was just craving some fantasy that would possibly turn out a lot differently, he knew exactly what it would have felt like. And he couldn’t have it, ever.

“I, uh, I really need to pee.” Niall lied after a while, when the thoughts started to get unbearable, and Liam seemed surprised but he immediately let him go of course, the younger boy shivering for a moment when he didn’t have the other’s arms around him anymore as he quickly went into the bathroom. Fuck.

Niall wasn’t crying or anything equally as dramatic as he fake used the toilet before starting to brush his teeth just to have something to do, but he also didn’t feel too great anymore either which had only partly to do with his tiredness. He really wished he could have been braver, taken all the advice Louis was constantly texting him out of nowhere and unprompted, but he was terrified of ruining it all. Especially on this trip and when they were all alone.

Also, why would he have even taken a chance and told Liam how he felt when it was so obvious that the other boy didn’t feel anything close to that? Yes, he had told Niall he thought he was cute, but cute was really not the first word anyone would think of when they talked about their crush, was it? It also made Niall feel as if Liam saw him as way too young even if that wasn’t the case at all. 

There was literally nothing he could have done to change anything about this situation, he would just have to keep on dealing with it the way he had up until now. It was just getting slightly harder whenever Liam did things like offering to help Niall out on his heat and shit like that. Why had he done that anyways?

“You could’ve waited for me.” Liam pretended to be upset when Niall came back with his toothbrush still in his mouth, trying to act completely normal. Everything was completely normal after all, he just had a bit of trouble controlling his thoughts right now. 

“Sorry.” Niall told him around his toothbrush, starting to collect the remains of their food with one arm while Liam went to get his toothbrush as well. They did that a lot at home, brushing their teeth together in the bathroom and Niall had never really thought anything of it until his mother had seen them doing it and simply pulled up her eyebrows. 

When Niall was done, he had to step around Liam to get to the sink and his insides literally twisted when he felt the older’s hand on the small of his back as he went to spit out and wash his toothbrush. He kept it there until Niall was standing up straight again to look at him through the mirror while Liam let his hand wander across his body until he could rub it across Niall’s side slowly. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m really tired.” It wasn’t a lie, so Niall didn’t feel bad about it, he just absolutely hated that he was so bloody bad at hiding his mood swings from Liam. 

Liam nodded, letting his hand sink again as Niall stepped away to go lie in bed, suddenly wishing that Louis would have texted him about this situation just this once, but of course when he really wanted it, there was nothing on his phone, except a message from his mom telling him that she hoped he had been polite. Did she really think Niall would have been rude or unfriendly to Liam’s family?

Niall was lying with his back towards the other side of the bed, having put his phone away, so maybe Liam thought he was asleep when he came back from the bathroom, turning off the lights and not saying anything when he lied down next to the younger boy. Hopefully he had remembered to put an alarm on his phone, because Niall hadn’t and he also didn’t really wanna speak up right now.

The fact that Liam didn’t pull him in or touched him like he usually did bothered Niall a lot more than he would have thought, but he just lied still, trying to get over it. He didn’t even know what his problem was, he couldn’t be upset that Liam wasn’t in love with him, could he? It wasn’t exactly anything new either, so there was no need for Niall to be such a baby.

When Niall couldn’t stand it anymore, he had no idea how much time had passed, but Liam sounded quite sleepy when he answered. “Liam?”

“Hm?” Was all the older boy made, which could have literally meant anything at all.

“I… “ Niall started before deciding to rephrase his question though the content was stupid enough already so whatever. “Why are you lying so far away?”

There was no answer for a moment and Niall literally thought Liam was asleep when he suddenly heard him chuckling quietly before moving the mattress and the sheets to move closer towards Niall, his arm somehow finding its way underneath the younger’s blanket and around his waist. “Is that better?”

“Yeah… “ Much better.

“You’re so needy, hm?” Okay, was that…. a bad thing?

“Sorry.” Niall didn’t know what else to say and it kinda slipped out, like yeah, Liam’s voice hadn’t sounded annoyed or mad, it had actually been soft and fond, but how would Niall even know? 

“You don’t have to apologize, Nialler. I was just lying on my side because I thought you were already asleep and I didn’t wanna wake you… are you sure everything’s alright? Is it because of what we were talking about before?” Oh, if only he knew how little it had to with that.

“No… everything’s fine. I’m just tired.” And he couldn’t sleep without Liam holding him, but Niall decided to keep that part to himself, also because he wasn’t quite sure if it was actually normal to feel this intensely about somebody. 

“Okay… let’s go to sleep then. I put the alarm for 10, is that okay?” When Liam was talking, his breath was hitting the back of Niall’s neck, giving him shivers. 

“Um, yeah, ‘course.” He didn’t know when Liam’s sisters would get off of school, he was just letting Liam handle all that because he had no clue about anything anyways. 

“Okay, sleep tight, babe.” Right, this was the very first time that he had called Niall that and OF COURSE it got Niall so giddy and excited that there was absolutely no bloody way anymore that he would be able to go to sleep. Was he doing these things on purpose?

“You too… “ Niall managed to tell Liam right before it would have gotten weird, his mind wide awake now and he would have been upset had it not felt so damn good. Even if he knew that it had either just been a slip up or didn’t mean anything, it didn’t stop him from at least feeling brave enough to hold Liam’s hand again. 

 

\---------------------

 

When they picked Liam’s sisters up from school the next day, they were equally as excited as the first time, but at least there were no tears again and Niall received a quick hug also. The girls didn’t know yet where they would be going now, so Niall hoped that they indeed liked the zoo as much as Liam had told him because he really didn’t wanna see these kids sad or disappointed again, he had seen enough of that yesterday. 

“Where are we going?” Nicola was asking for probably the 100th time while they were stuck in traffic as usual, and Niall might have gotten annoyed with everybody else, but he could really understand the girls’ excitement.

“You’ll find out in a few minutes, love, it’d just ruin the surprise if I told you now, sorry.” Liam didn’t sound sorry at all, he was actually grinning when Niall threw a look at him, his heart swelling a bit whenever he thought about just how much Liam enjoyed spending time with his sisters. And the other way around of course. “How was school? Did you learn anything?”

“Nope, it was super boring, I didn’t learn anything at all.” The younger girl told him and Niall had to hold back a laugh because that sounded much like him when he had still been in school, which actually wasn’t that long ago if he thought about it. “My teacher said I did my homework really good though.”

Niall had helped her with that, because it had been a lot easier than Ruth’s and it’s not like he wouldn’t have been able to do the homework of a 7 year old, but helping Nicola draw something had seemed a lot more appealing. Plus, Liam had been there also, so they had both gotten their stuff done anyways.

“Nici told everyone that she now has two brothers.” Ruth just said, throwing it into the room, or the car more like, and before Niall or Liam could have even reacted to it, the girls were already fighting in the back.

“No, I did not!” Nicola immediately got defensive and Niall decided that Liam would be better at handling this so he stayed quiet, thinking about how he’d feel if she really thought about him that way.

“You did, I heard you!” They were possibly trying to shove each other in the back, Niall wasn’t quite sure, he just knew that Liam made sure to reach behind when he stopped the car at a red light, probably to keep one of them from getting a bit physical.

“No, I didn’t!”

“Hey, hey, no fighting in the car, remember? It’s dangerous.” He sounded a lot stricter all of a sudden and Niall was surprised for a moment, but he probably shouldn’t have been at all. Liam was really good at this. “And there’s no reason to fight anyways. You wanna know what the surprise is, right? So you gotta behave or I’m not telling you, your decision.”

They both shut up immediately and Liam let out a sigh when he sat up straight again, throwing a side glance at Niall, which the younger boy barely even registered. 

“It’s okay if you did say it, Nici. And even if you didn’t-“ Liam quickly carried on when she had been about interrupt him. “it’s not nice to try and get her mad by saying it out loud, Ruth.”

“Sorry.” The older girl mumbled and it didn’t really sound like she was sorry though, but Liam let it slip, probably because this whole situation was a tiny bit awkward. Not like Niall had ever expected any of them to consider him as anything more than a friend of Liam’s, but he did see how this whole situation could get confusing to a child. 

They didn’t talk about it anymore so they never got to the bottom of it either, which was probably for the best anyways. Just like Liam had predicted, the girls were absolutely stoked once he told them where they were going and though Ruth was a little concerned about getting her school uniform dirty, she quickly got over that. 

Niall had never been to the zoo, there wasn’t one where they lived and his mother probably wouldn’t have taken him anyways, but he hadn’t told Liam that because he didn’t think there was a reason to, though he had to admit he himself was kinda excited as well. Also, it was somehow the first time he and Liam did something like this together except for whenever they went on walks or to the cinema and though they were doing it for his little sisters obviously, Niall still felt happy that he was able to come along. 

And that Liam paid for him as well without even asking. 

“I wanna go to the penguins, pleeease?” The girls were super excited once they were inside, and Liam was visibly rethinking his choice because of how many people there were because of the nice weather, so Niall made sure to keep an eye on his sisters as well. 

“Anywhere you want, just make sure you stay with me or Niall, okay?” Liam seemed a bit worried that neither of the girls wanted to hold his hand because they were too busy being happy and bubbly and Niall tried to throw him a comforting smile. At least today he felt like him coming along was actually a positive thing because Liam would have surely struggled by himself. “Don’t run, please.”

Apparently, they knew where they were going, so Niall and Liam just made sure to follow. 

“Now I know why your mom was so amused when you told her about coming here.” Niall told Liam while they were following his sisters, grinning a bit when Liam rolled his eyes at him. 

“I’m just glad you’re here as well, I don’t think I would have ever come here with them by myself. I’d be terrified about losing them.” The older boy barely took his eyes off of the girls, but at least they were walking just slightly ahead of them and they were holding hands so… if they got lost, they’d lose them both. “I did lose them once, at a mall like 2 years ago, I almost died because they were so small and I genuinely thought my mom would just straight up kill me.”

“But you found them again.” Still, the memory seemed to have traumatized Liam quite a bit and Niall kinda got it.

“Yeah, after the worst hour of my life. They were just in some store playing with the toys there and Ruth just asked me why I was crying when she saw me. I couldn’t even get mad at them.” Seeing Liam cry was something Niall was pretty sure he never wanted to witness in his life, he wouldn’t have been able to bear it but even more, it would have probably needed something terrible to happen beforehand. “Also, I really hope we didn’t miss the penguin sh- Girls, can you slow down? Hold my hand, Nici.”

They did slow down when Liam called them, so that was a good thing, and Niall didn’t really think about it when they waited for them to catch up and Nicola came to hold her brother’s hand, he was just really surprised when she took his as well while walking in between them. Liam didn’t comment it either, he just threw Niall a quick smile. 

Now they looked like a couple with kids and as much as Niall wanted to hate this, he really and truly did not hate any of it, not even holding a sticky kid hand. 

Ruth was walking a bit ahead of them still, but she was busy pretending to be reading the zoo map, or maybe she was, Niall wasn’t quite sure. All he knew was that these girls must have been here often enough to already know all the ways by heart. 

When they reached the penguins, it turned out that they hadn’t missed the show, so that was a good thing, but they also had to wait a little and when Liam suggested they could go somewhere else in the meantime, of course they had their first emergency.

“I really need to pee.” Ruth told him though they had passed the bathrooms already and Niall kinda expected Liam to tell her exactly that, but he just sighed in the end, extending his arm for her to take his hand. “Like, really badly.”

“Okay, let’s go find a bathroom. Ni, do you wanna come or… “ Liam trailed off, looking at Nicola jumping up and down in front of the glass wall to try and see the penguins swimming. 

“I can wait here with her, it’s fine. Just call me if you get lost or something.” Niall didn’t really think when he offered, but he truly did not mind and Liam seemed quite relieved when he nodded, promising that they’d be quick before they left and the younger boy almost panicked for a moment when he realized that he now had the sole responsibility for this child. “Hey… your brother and sister are just gone to the bathroom, okay? They’ll be right back.”

“Okay.” Nicola didn’t seem to care one bit, she just seemed frustrated about how small she was, still standing on her tip toes and jumping up and down once a while. “I can’t see the penguins.”

For a second, Niall hesitated, but then he thought that he should have probably stopped overthinking so much. “Do you want me to hold you so you can see better?”

“Yes.” The girl turned around immediately, stretching her arms out towards Niall and when he picked her up and placed her on his hip, she was a lot lighter than expected, but he still wondered how Liam had made it seem so much easier to carry a child. Well, he also worked out quite a lot and he was taller than Niall, so… “Oh, look!”

“Wow, they’re really cute, huh?” Niall had to readjust her a bit, but she didn’t seem to care at all, her arm was around Niall’s neck, fingers pulling at his shirt. 

“I wish I could pet them, they look so soft. But Liam said they are all wet and gross like fish.” Probably to keep her from begging to touch them. “But how does he know that? He’s never even touched them.”

“Right, he probably doesn’t even know.” Niall agreed, which got him a smile so that was a good start. “What’s your favorite animal?”

“Hmmm, a cat. I want a cat but my mommy says I can’t have one because she doesn’t like them. She also said we can’t have a dog because she and daddy are too busy.” She sounded like she had them same problems Niall had had when he had been her age and he had never gotten that cat until now if he thought about it. Or the dog. “Do you have a cat or a dog?”

“No, I don’t have any pets. I might when I’m a bit older.” And moved out and probably far away from Liam and the thought made Niall really nervous actually. “What’s your favorite animal here in the zoo?”

“The goats. You can pet them and they look funny. What’s yours?” She seemed very curious about the answer, even forgetting about the penguins for a moment.

“I don’t think I have one yet, I’ve never been to the zoo before.” Niall told her after pretending to think about it for a moment, hold her a bit tighter when he noticed her slipping. He really was not used to this, but he felt like he wasn’t doing all too badly.

“What, never?!” Nicola seemed so appalled that it almost made Niall laugh when he shook his head. 

“Nope, so I’m really excited Liam asked me to come today.” Well, maybe not THAT excited, especially after last night but still excited enough. And Niall was enjoying himself after all, even though Liam had seemed stressed out already after they had been here for about 10 minutes. 

“Me too, because I don’t like waiting in the bathroom.” That made Niall laugh for real this time but he really got where she was coming from. Even if he kinda had a feeling that as soon as Liam came back, she’d be the one needing the bathroom as well. 

They watched the penguins for a moment because they really captivated the girl’s attention when they swam right behind the glass and Niall made sure to get a bit closer without getting splashed. He kinda had a feeling Liam would be away for a while because of how many people there were, but even though he would have probably freaked out about that a few days ago, he felt rather calm right now. Plus, if he was holding her, there was no way she could slip out of his sight or get hurt or fall, so it was the best possible solution. 

“If you’re Liam’s brother, why aren’t you mine and Ruth’s?” The question came a bit out of nowhere and Niall didn’t really know what to say at first because he hadn’t really expected to be asked this question and have a child appropriate answer at hand. 

“Um… you know how you and Liam don’t have the same dad?” Niall only dared to say that because he knew that the girls knew that because Liam had told him luckily. 

“Oh. So is Liam’s dad your dad?” Okay, wait, this was getting complicated.

“Um, no he’s not. But, uh… Liam’s dad and my mom get along really well and we all live in the same house, so me and Liam aren’t real brothers, we-“

“Are you half brothers? Liam is my half brother too.” Well, at least she knew that much, that meant she couldn’t have no clue at all what Niall meant, right?

“No, we… we’re not real brothers, we’re step brothers, but… we don’t have the same mom or dad.” Had that made any sense whatsoever? Probably not.

“Oh.” Was all Nicola said after thinking about it for a moment and Niall really had no idea how else to explain it to her. “But can I still tell people you’re my brother too?”

“If you want to do that.” Who was Niall to tell her no? He was slightly surprised that she wanted to do that but then again not really because of the small fight in the car before. 

“Okay. I like you.” She just told Niall that, obviously not thinking about it in any way, plus she was a child, but it still surprised Niall even more than the brother thing. 

“I like you too.” Niall made sure to tell her because it was true after all and he felt like he really shouldn’t have just ignored this. Liam had been right after all, Niall had had no reason at all to be nervous in any way. 

“Are you always gonna come visit us with Liam now?” Another difficult question, but at least Niall had no explaining to do with this one.

“I don’t know yet.” It was the truth, he didn’t wanna make false promises or anything and also, he genuinely didn’t know because who knew what would happen in the future? Their parents could have split up for example and then Niall had no idea where he would have even lived. 

“I want you to.” Nicola told him, but before Niall could have reacted to it, she almost fell out of his arms as she excitedly pointed at one of the penguins doing something. “Look, Niall!”

So they went back to watching the penguins and talking about animals and then school because Nicola had a lot to say about that and her friends and her classmates who she didn’t like and honestly, Niall didn’t know how long Liam and Ruth had been gone when they came back.

“Sorry it took so long, the queue was massive.” Liam apologized to Niall, but he was smiling at him as soon as the younger boy had turned around. “Did you enjoy the penguins?”

“Yes! And Niall said he doesn’t think they are gross and wet like fish and that you don’t even know because you never touched them.” Of course she chose to tell Liam that, but it only made him laugh anyways, ruffling her hair and then trying to go for Niall’s as well, but the younger boy was very quick to step back, holding on tightly to Nicola though so she wouldn’t fall.

She didn’t make any attempts to get him to put her down, so when they went to sit down on the stone steps to watch the penguin show, she somehow automatically ended up sitting on Niall’s lap. Not that he cared about that and she didn’t seem to either because she leaned back against him, seemingly comfortable. Liam was obviously really happy about this turn of events because of Niall’s small mental breakdown the past few days and Niall was too, but he was also a little bit worried because they wouldn’t be staying in London for much longer. 

The zoo wasn’t actually that huge, but they still spent several hours there because the girls were looking at all the animals 10 times longer than Niall would have chosen to. Liam finally gave in and bought them ice cream after they had asked probably a hundred times, making them pinky swear not to tell their mother about it though.

The longer they were there, the more comfortable did Niall feel and so did Liam’s sisters because they weren’t shy anymore talking to him or randomly reaching out for his hand like they did for Liam’s all the time. So all in all, it was really nice, and Niall ended up with his arms actually hurting a bit from how much he had been carrying Nicola around that zoo because he was just unable to tell her no whenever she came to him complaining that her feet were hurting.

Which was also why he was carrying her back to the car, but to be fair, she really seemed to have half fallen asleep while standing up when she came to tell him that she wanted him to pick her up.

“Did she fall asleep?” Liam asked when they were walking towards the exit, reaching out to rub her back a bit but there was no reaction or movement.

“I don’t know, I think so.” Niall made sure to talk quietly just in case, he couldn’t see her face because she had her legs on either side of his body, arms around his neck again. 

“My mom’s gonna be so happy we tired them out.” The older boy half whispered to Niall and the other boy just smiled at him, feeling really grateful right now that they had taken this trip. “You sleepy, Ruthie?”

“Yeah… can you carry me too, Li?” She used her puppy eyes on him, so of course that worked immediately, but Liam would have probably carried her either ways.

“Alright, come here then.” He definitely made it seem much easier picking up his little sister, even if she was older, and Niall tried not to stare at his arms or anything because that would have truly been highly inappropriate right now. “We really need to wipe your face when we get to the car, what’s all this, huh? Ice cream?”

“No.” She immediately started wiping at her mouth though and Liam pressed a kiss to her temple while Niall’s heart turned to mush yet again whenever he watched Liam being cute with his sisters. 

When they got back to the car, Niall kinda had a bit of trouble putting Nicola in her seat because she had indeed fallen asleep, but he somehow managed with Liam’s help, feeling a little breathless afterwards because of the older boy touching his arm. They hadn’t really touched a lot today obviously so Niall was more affected by it than usually, which was kinda worrying but also nothing new. 

“I think we really managed to make them both pass out.” Liam was talking quietly while pulling back out on the street and Niall threw a look in the backseat to confirm to the brunette that the girls were indeed both asleep. 

“Yeah… but we’ve been here quite a while and they’ve been to school before.” Also, they had been running around like crazy. “Did they even have anything to eat?”

“They ate at school today, don’t worry.” The older boy told him, his smile fond when Niall accidentally met his eyes, which immediately got his cheeks hot of course. Wow, this would literally never stop, would it? “How was it for you?”

“The zoo? It was great, I’ve never been to the zoo.” Niall had also taken a lot of pictures on his phone, mostly because he had realized he didn’t have any pictures of Liam except the ones he posted online, but those were for everyone and these ones were just for Niall. He had had to use the chance when he was able to pretend to be taking pictures of the animals, right?

“Seriously? You didn’t even tell me that.” He sounded a bit appalled, but Niall just shrugged. “But I actually meant with the girls and everything. I know they’re quite a handful sometimes.”

“No, it was fine, I don’t know why I’ve ever been so nervous about it. We can do that more often.” Niall decided to add the last part just because, maybe because he was hoping Liam would ask him again next time he came to visit. 

“Okay, I’m glad you feel that way, I thought you were doing really great with them and Nicola absolutely loves you, I think she likes you more than me now. That was quick.” Liam was joking around of course, but he seemed really happy about it so Niall wasn’t worried.

“She asked me why I’m your brother but not hers, I don’t know if I explained it that well.” Niall hadn’t had time to tell Liam yet, but he felt like he should have before he forgot. “And she asked if it would be okay if she told people I’m her brother.”

“She’s already done it anyways as we heard while driving here, I hope you don’t mind. And it doesn’t matter how you explained it, I’m pretty sure she’s already asked my mom about it as well, and she asked me too at some point, I doubt she’s that worried about it.” The older boy just shrugged a bit, which was a relief though Niall hadn’t thought he’d get upset anyways. 

“I don’t mind it, I told her she could if she wanted to. Although I don’t know why she would want to.” Seriously, but then again, she was only 5 years old and Niall’s only worries were really coming from the fact that Liam’s sisters seemed to think that they were real brothers and yet Niall actually had a massive crush on him, so that was maybe a bit weird to think about. 

“She really likes to go around telling all her friends about her big brother, so you can imagine how amazing it would be to her to actually have two. I just hope you’re now prepared to get invited to her birthday parties as well so she can show off some more.” Liam laughed softly, apparently having attended way too many little kids’ birthday parties, but he didn’t seem to mind at all and it made Niall smile. “But she also just seems to like you, I can see why. You’re good with her.”

“I don’t know if I’m that good with kids… I try.“ Niall was slightly embarrassed now, but Liam had sounded really honest when he had said it. 

“Don’t worry about it, Nialler, they like you, okay? And so does my mom by the way, she told me when you went to the bathroom yesterday and I forgot to tell you. So no need at all to be nervous anymore.” No idea whether he had just made that up, but Niall decided to believe him anyways because why not, right? “You’re doing great.”

“Thanks.” Niall almost choked when Liam reached over to squeeze his hand for just a moment, the smile on his face almost making the younger boy feel just a tiny bit dizzy. Wow, he was so in love with Liam right now, he actually had no bloody idea anymore how to handle it. 

 

\---------------------------

 

After bringing the girls back home and staying there for a little bit longer to chat with Liam’s mom and then give in to the kids’ begging and playing with them again, Liam decided that it definitely wasn’t late enough to go back to the apartment yet and they were in London anyways, it would have just been a waste to not do anything. 

He couldn’t really believe how well this day had gone, how good Niall had been with his sisters despite his worries, and Liam wasn’t actually sure about the last time he had felt so happy and just overall grateful for everything. This trip had definitely been the best decision and the more time he spent alone with Niall, the more he watched him being sweet to the girls, carrying them around and everything, the harder it got for Liam to not just impulsively do or say certain things.

Last night’s conversation was still prominent in his head, also the way Niall had suddenly gone all quiet, declaring he was tired but then being upset when Liam hadn’t moved to cuddle with him immediately. It clearly showed Liam that there were certain things between them that could have needed some sorting out or talking about, apart from the other stuff, but it was hard to do so when Liam’s… _job_ wouldn’t really change, when there was nothing he could have done about it.

So yeah, things were going great, but there were always a few issues there, which weren’t as much of a problem as Liam’s own difficulties with knowing what he wanted. Or more like, if he should have given in to what he wanted. 

“I’m not sure if I’m enjoying this too much.” Niall was slightly wary about having gone on the London Eye and though Liam hadn’t been on it in years, he had thought that since Niall had never done these touristy things before, he should get to experience them. Even if they weren’t exactly that thrilling or comfortable. “It’s really high.”

“I didn’t know you were afraid of heights.” Liam would have definitely not taken him on it in that case, he felt like a bit of an idiot now, keeping his hand on the younger’s back while they were standing there and looking down over the city. It was getting kinda darker, so the sight was actually pretty nice but Liam wasn’t sure if Niall was able to enjoy it all that much. 

“I’m not, I think. Or maybe I’ve just never been up this high.” He shrugged a bit, not stepping away from Liam in the slightest bit though and he also took his phone out to take pictures, so that was at least something. Liam had noticed him doing that a lot at the zoo, and at first he had thought Niall was really into animals, but he had quickly realized Niall was also taking a lot of pictures of him, which had amused him quite a bit, but he had decided to let the younger boy believe that he hadn’t even noticed. “Sucks that the Big Ben is under construction, I feel like they did that just because I’m coming.”

“I doubt that, it’ll be like that for years, I think.” Liam had to laugh, kinda feeling like wrapping his arm around Niall so he just did, not really surprised when the boy let himself fall into him, but it still made him happy. “We can come back tomorrow though, you’ll still see it better when it’s lighter outside.”

“Hm, we don’t have to, we can do whatever you want, I’ve got no idea about where anything is. That tube ride alone was something.” They had parked the car in the garage of the building where the apartment was because there was no bloody way Liam would have been able to drive them around or park the car anywhere, but actually, Niall had seemed quite excited about it. “I’d move here if I could afford more than just about food for myself.”

“Really? I never wanted to live here, I like how small our city is in comparison, and the traffic here… wow, I couldn’t do that, I’d go crazy.” For just a moment though, Liam thought about it, thought about Niall one day deciding to move here after finishing university and it kinda freaked Liam out just a little bit. “But it’s nice to come here once a while.”

“Yeah… won’t your sisters be super sad if they find out we’re here for two more days and doing things without them?” Niall actually sounded really worried about this. They had told Liam’s mother before that they would come over again tomorrow for dinner, but otherwise, Liam had kinda planned for them to do stuff alone before they’d have to go back home. 

“We just don’t tell them. I mean, they know we’ll come back tomorrow evening, but I don’t think they’ll ask if we’re going home or staying on Sunday. Also, they got friends coming over on Sunday anyways, it’s all good, you don’t have to be worried about them.” But it was still sweet that he was. “We’ll probably have to stay until their bedtime anyways tomorrow.”

“That’s fine for me.” Niall shrugged, sounding not at all bothered and it was just another reason for Liam to hold him tighter, slowly wrapping his arm around Niall’s stomach from behind and leaning his cheek against his head for a moment and Liam was aware that everyone in here with them probably thought they were a couple. He didn’t really mind that though. 

Liam also took Niall to Piccadilly Circus, but it was getting late by the time they got something to eat so they decided to head back to the apartment for the night. Since Niall almost fell in the tube, Liam decided it would be a good idea to keep an arm around him and make sure he stayed close to him. Just for safety reasons obviously.

When they got back, Niall declared he needed to go shower first or he would fall asleep in the meantime, so Liam let him of course because he didn’t mind either ways. The younger boy still looked close to passing out by the time Liam was done as well, just scrolling through his phone while lying on top of the blankets, his face concentrated for a moment before he noticed Liam entering the room.

“Everything okay?” Liam decided to check, putting on a shirt after thinking about it for a moment because it had kinda gotten cold in here last night. 

“Yeah, ‘course. Just Louis demanding me to bring him back all sorts of things.” Niall rolled his eyes, letting his phone drop onto his chest. It was obvious that he was trying to be subtle about watching Liam getting dressed, so the older boy bit the inside of his cheek so he wouldn’t grin. Over the last couple hours, he had kinda decided something and he was slightly nervous about it if he was being honest. 

“Well, we definitely have time to buy things. Unless you don’t wanna bring him anything back.” Liam was up to do anything at all Niall wanted really.

“Hm, I don’t know… I’ll think about it.” When Liam climbed onto the bed as well, he noticed Niall watching him closely, his cheeks turning redder though when Liam looked back at him and it almost seemed like the perfect moment for him to say what he wanted to say. 

“Hey, uh… “ He started, not really knowing how to even start a conversation like that and it somehow felt weird to him because he wasn’t usually this nervous talking about anything at all. Especially with Niall. “So, I was gonna like… I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“Okay?” Niall swallowed noticeably, sitting up a bit against the pillows but making sure to cover himself with the blanket, so Liam half lied down as well. He hadn’t planned this at all, but he also doubted that his judgement was so far off that he would make things between them completely awkward. “Is it bad?”

“No, it’s not.” Liam made sure to reassure him, looking up at the ceiling though. “I hope.”

“That’s… not so comforting.” The younger boy let out a nervous laugh and suddenly, Liam wasn’t really sure if this was the right time to talk about it. But when was it ever? And they were never really alone like this either. 

“Sorry. I just… I didn’t really plan on what I was going to say, but I’ve wanted to talk to you about it for a while now. Especially since the past few days though.” Specifically since Niall had gotten hurt.

The younger boy stayed quiet, obviously nervous when Liam rolled his head around to look at him for a moment and deciding to just say it out loud because otherwise, he wasn’t sure if he ever would. 

“Before I say anything else, I just wanted to ask you… you do like me, right?” How else would he have gotten confirmation?

“Um, yes?” The way Niall answered so quickly kinda told Liam that he didn’t really know what exactly he had just asked him, so he decided to rephrase.

“I don’t really mean in general, I meant as in… you could potentially imagine us being together.” That was honestly the best possible way Liam could put it, but it almost instantly caused the younger boy’s eyes to grow wide as he stared at him, clearly not having expected that. “If I’m wrong, then-“

“Oh my god.” Niall interrupted, having sat up immediately and Liam was kinda confused by the face he was making, so shocked as if Liam had just asked to marry him. Except, he seemed to think the complete opposite. “Oh god, I… I’m so sorry, I never wanted to make things weird between us, I… I would have never even mentioned it, I didn’t even think you knew and… sorry, please don’t be freaked out about it, I can, uh, I can totally pull myself together, I’ll get over it, it’s all good. I don’t want things between us to change and I know it’s my fault if they do, just please tell me what I can do to make it less weird, I can-“

“Ni, wait.” Liam stopped him from rambling on, clearly freaking himself out even more with every word he said while the older boy had sat up as well, reaching out to put a hand on Niall’s arm because he was actually trembling now. Honestly, Liam should have expected this reaction, but hearing Niall confirming his suspicions was still calming and a little exciting. “I didn’t ask because I thought it’s weird or anything, I asked because I genuinely didn’t know and I wanted us to talk about it. I mean, talk about… _us_ , kind of.”

“I…. what are you saying?” It seemed as if Niall had stopped breathing somehow and suddenly it hit Liam that the younger boy must have thought that Liam didn’t even see him that way. That would at least explain his reaction before. 

“Just that maybe we should talk about what both of us want and whether we should, like, take things further. I just didn’t know if that’s something you’d ever even thought about because of the situation with our families and I-“

“Hold on.” Niall simply interrupted again, but he seemed less freaked out at least. Just like he didn’t believe a single word coming out of Liam’s mouth. “You… you wanna… you wanna, uh, take things… further? With me?”

“I mean… that’s what I wanted to ta-“

“No, but… you like me? You don’t think I’m like a little brother to you?” Wait, what?

“No, why would I think that? We’re almost the same age. Of course I like you, Niall, did you not know?” To be fair, at first Liam hadn’t been all too sure about it himself, he had needed time to sort out his feelings and stuff, but he was pretty damn sure about them now, even if Niall’s jaw had basically just dropped. “Are you okay?”

“Um… I don’t know.” Niall half choked out and then he literally said the very least thing Liam would have expected him to say and he had to admit, it did take him by surprise, even if the younger boy immediately covered his mouth with his hand afterwards. “I think I’m in love with you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i feel like i just updated the last chapter a few minutes ago, but anyways here is the first early update! the 11th chapter will be up on Tuesday (probably the same time unless im too tired then sooner)!
> 
> After that there will be no update until the 10th of August and i'll continue as usual from there on :)
> 
> hope you all enjoyed this chapter :D (especially the ending haha!)


	11. Chapter 11

“Wait, wait, shit, I… I didn’t even mean that, I’m not in love with you at all. Maybe a little, or not, actually, I- not that I never could be or anything, I just… I didn’t mean to say that, sorry, um… carry on. Please?” Niall was the dumbest idiot on this earth, there was no doubt about it anymore. NONE.

“Ni-“

“You’re not fucking with me, right? This isn’t a joke, you… you really mean it? You like me, kind of at least? I’m not just dreaming or- and you don’t think I’m just like a little brother to you or a brother in general and-“

“I never thought that, ever. In the beginning I just kinda thought it was our inside joke or something to pretend we’re real step brothers, but I never took it seriously… Ni, are you sure you’re okay? I didn’t think I’d freak you out like that, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.” Liam sounded genuinely worried and he looked like it too but Niall couldn’t even concentrate on that because his head suddenly felt really dizzy and he was having trouble processing any of this. Was he dreaming? He had to be. “I genuinely thought you knew how I felt, or had an idea at least, like me.”

“I… I had no idea, about anything, I thought… oh my god. You… you genuinely mean this?” He had already confirmed it, but Niall just kept asking because he couldn’t even be happy about it because his brain was working so slowly and he just needed Liam to say it again, approximately 100 more times. How could this be?

“Why would I make that up, Ni? Of course I mean it.” The older’s hand was still on Niall’s arm and had Niall not felt his thumb brushing over his skin, he would have really thought that he was indeed dreaming. 

There was silence then, because Niall had no idea what to even say and Liam seemed to just be worried about his mental state at this time, but how could the younger boy have said anything when he had been telling himself for weeks now that this would never happen? “Why me?”

“Who else?” Liam seemed confused, as if he had been crushing on Niall all along just as much as the other way around and the mere thought left Niall breathless.

“I mean… there are probably a hundred people who would wanna be with you.” Okay, slightly exaggerated, but to Niall’s defense, he could actually feel his ears rushing right now.

“Who would that be?” Anybody in their right mind if they saw Liam?!

“I know somebody.” This conversation was getting bizarre as hell, mostly because Niall kinda felt a bit lifeless with no idea how to talk about any of this when he had been swooning over Liam for literally months now. When Niall said that though, Liam smiled a bit, but that disappeared very quickly when the younger boy continued. “My coworker. She has a massive crush on you.”

“Um, okay? I thought you meant yourself.” Right, shit. “Ni, if you don’t wanna talk about-“

“No, no, I do, really, I… I just, I’m having a hard time actually believing that this is really happening.” Then again, maybe Niall didn’t wanna talk about it, because what was there to say? Obviously Liam already knew what he wanted, so it was up to him really. “I… I wanna be with you, more than anything, like, since we first met and when I still thought I was a Beta, I just… I never thought… I never thought it would ever happen. I never thought you’d ever actually see me that way.”

Liam took his time to answer, but at least he didn’t seem taken aback by the younger’s words because Niall already regretted them deeply. He had never been so open with anybody about his feelings for them before, but the words had just kinda fallen out of his mouth and now it was too late. “If I had known you felt this way… I would have talked to you sooner. I was trying to figure out what you wanted and what I wanted and… I was thinking about what it would mean for us, you being an Omega and me an Alpha, and our families… “

“But… it’s better if I’m an Omega than a Beta, right?” It had to because Liam couldn’t sit there now and tell Niall he was having doubts because of something most Alphas would have rejoiced at?!

“I just don’t think it should matter.” Liam told him, looking straight into his eyes, but his hand had now found Niall’s and the younger boy kinda forgot to breathe for a moment. “I just never liked the idea that everyone’s so focused on who they can and can’t be with and who they’re attracted to just judging by what they are… but I liked you when I thought you were a Beta as well, I just needed some time to realize it myself and to get to know you better.”

“Me too. I mean, I liked _you_ when I thought I was a Beta… “ Niall had never known that Liam had had such worries, but how would he have, honestly? They had never really talked about any of this before. Slowly though, realization was starting to sink in and Niall’s heart was definitely beating a whole lot faster now. “I know that, um… that I was really biased, when we first met and… I don’t think like that at all anymore. I don’t think you fit into any stereotype at all, I was just… before I knew what I was I was just confused.”

“It’s alright, you don’t need to defend yourself now, I never took it to heart anyways. I’m glad you told me how you feel because sometimes I wasn’t sure if maybe you were just craving all this physical contact because I’m an Alpha. And I know now _I_ sound like I’m biased, I just… I really don’t want to mess this up and… if we did indeed take this further then I just wanted to tell you that… you know, if we bond, I think we should wait a bit with that. Not because I’m unsure or because I think you are, simply because I think we should figure this all out before. Figure _us_ out.” That had probably all made a lot of sense, but Niall was pretty much only watching Liam’s lips while he talked, nodding along. 

“Yeah, um, sure, I… I don’t care. We can wait, with anything, it’s okay.” Niall was so desperate it wasn’t even funny, but now that he knew how Liam felt about him… it almost seemed as if nothing else mattered anymore. Nothing would ever top this, there was just no way. “I just wanna be with you.” 

“Okay.” Was all Liam said, but he finally smiled at the younger boy again, squeezing his hand and it felt like a promise almost. Pretty sure if Niall woke up tomorrow, he’d need the older boy to reassure him that he hadn’t made any of this up all over again. “What do you wanna do now?”

Niall surely didn’t have to be asked this question twice.

He was aware that they had never said the words that they were indeed together now, but there was no actual need to anymore. Also, Liam’s question had been so suggestive and combined with the smile on his face, there was no bloody way Niall would have just sat back and been calm, he had wanted this for so long, it felt more than surreal.

Niall pulled his hand out of Liam’s without thinking, moving until he could wrap his arms around the older’s neck before he could have changed his mind and chickened out, feeling Liam’s breath on his face as their foreheads bumped together and the older boy seemed surprised for a moment, but very quickly placed his hands on Niall’s hips, brushing their noses together.

Though there was nothing Niall wanted more in this moment, he didn’t straight go in for the kiss, he let his eyes fall closed, curled his fingers into Liam’s hair and just breathed him in for a moment, his whole body trembling as he thought about just how much he had wanted this ever since the first time.

It was Liam who almost closed the gap between their lips, waiting for Niall’s silent permission before actually kissing him though and the younger boy pretty much went straight to heaven. Though they started out really slow, Liam didn’t wait very long to gently pushed the younger boy backwards until his back hit the mattress once more and the older’s body covered his, his weight pressing Niall down and it was honestly more than he had ever thought he could have wanted.

The kiss was still soft and careful, but it was enough to make Niall’s head dizzy as he grabbed onto Liam, anywhere he could reach, desperate to hold him closer, to never have him move away again. Maybe it was because they had done this before, but it almost felt familiar when Liam’s tongue slipped into Niall’s mouth and joined his, gentle strokes that gave the younger boy shivers. Fuck, he was so in love with Liam, he couldn’t believe that he could have gotten so damn lucky. 

When they finally pulled apart, Niall hadn’t even noticed how badly he had needed some air and yet he still whined, trying to keep Liam’s lips against his because he could have kissed him forever. Liam stayed on top of him, keeping his weight partly on his elbows, and his face was still so close to Niall’s that the younger boy felt his every breath as they tried to fill their lunges with some air. Fuck.

“Ni… are you crying?” Liam was whispering, but he still sounded shocked and Niall didn’t actually wanna let go of him to wipe away a tear that had escaped him, so he just blinked a few times instead even if that just seemed to make things worse somehow. “Babe… “

“Sorry… “ Niall had no explanation for it, or maybe he did and he just didn’t know how to put it into words as he stared into Liam’s eyes so close to his. Honestly, he could have looked at Liam forever and not gotten tired of it, his mouth still tasted like him and everything smelled like him and Niall could feel him everywhere at once. It was literally everything he had ever wanted, he had never felt this way about anybody before and though he did wonder whether it was because he hadn’t ever been in a relationship as an Omega, he didn’t exactly care about the why. He just never wanted this moment to end. “Kiss me again.”

So Liam did, but a lot sweeter this time, barely moving his lips against the younger boy’s, but it was still more than enough for Niall. They were more breathing against one another at some point, still out of breath, and when Liam placed open mouthed kisses down Niall’s cheek, it took a moment for Niall to realize that he was kissing away the few tears that had escaped him. 

Neither of them spoke for a bit, there was just no need to, they just kept on lying there like this, kissing once a while, enjoying each other’s company and though they were both fully clothed and Niall didn’t at all feel as if he would have needed to do anything sexual right now, it was still one of the most intimate moments he had ever experienced with another person. 

“Are you okay?” Liam asked after what must have been at least half an hour. He was still on top of Niall, now just brushing his fingers through his hair though and the younger boy could have fallen asleep like this had he not forced himself to stay awake so he could make sure all of this was really happening.

“Yeah… don’t think I’ve ever been more okay… you?” He was smiling down at Niall, so Niall didn’t really expect a negative answer to his question.

“Me too.” Liam told him before kissing him again, briefly, chuckling a bit when Niall tightened his arms around his neck to keep him from pulling away again afterwards. God, how could any of this be really happening in this moment? 

When Niall did allow Liam to lean back a bit, he couldn’t help but reach out to touch his face and Liam just let him. Niall had never done this before, at least not when Liam had been fully awake, but he was just so gorgeous and Niall couldn’t help himself, brushing his fingers over his cheek and his stubble, his eyebrow and down his nose until he reached his lips and Liam made him smile by pressing a kiss against his fingers. 

“Are you tired?” Liam asked after Niall had moved his hand back to cup the back of his neck again and honestly, Niall wasn’t sure if he even still remembered what being tired felt like.

“No… I don’t think I’ll ever be able to go to sleep again.” Mostly because he was still all excited and not able to believe that any of this was real, but also because he was kinda afraid to sleep and then wake up and have it all been just a dream. 

“Hmm, not even if I cuddle you? Seems to always help.” The older boy was grinning, probably because he noticed how red Niall’s cheeks had gotten immediately afterwards, leaning down to kiss them briefly. “Why are you embarrassed about that? I can sleep better when we cuddle as well.”

“Because… I still can’t believe any of this is really happening.” And Niall wasn’t sure if he ever would be able to because this was LIAM for crying out loud. 

“Actually… me neither. If I had known you wanted this just as much as me I would have said something sooner.” Liam had to be lying about this, there was NO way in hell he was as much into Niall as the other way around, right?! “But it’s good, yeah? You and me?”

“Yeah… it’s more than just good, Li… “ It was perfect, it was everything Niall felt like he had ever wanted. “Are we, uh, are we gonna telling our parents?”

“I mean… why wouldn’t we tell them?” Right, Liam would probably have a much easier time with this than Niall. “I don’t really think we should tell my mom tomorrow because of my sisters and everything, but… I do think we should tell everyone when we’re back home. Unless you wanna keep it a secret?”

“No, I really don’t, I just… I’ve never really enjoyed telling my mom these kinda things because she always asks too many questions, but um, since we all live together… “ There was no way around it really, was there? And Niall didn’t wanna be careful and hide any of this, there really was no need to either. “Louis will be so happy when I tell him… “

“Really? Why?” Liam seemed amused by that, he had now gone over to just brushing his fingers through Niall’s hair again, giving him goosebumps all over his body.

“Because… I kinda told him and Harry that, you know… that I like you, so… he’s been telling me to make a move and stuff.” Which Niall hadn’t ended up doing, but it was whatever. “Only reason I don’t wanna tell them is because they will want the four of us to hang out together even more.”

“Is that so bad though? At least now you don’t have to be jealous anymore whenever I talk to either of them.” Fuck, had Niall been THAT obvious?!

“I-I…. I wasn’t even jealous.” Only so badly that he had been unable to sleep at night.

“If you say so.” Liam just grinned at him before leaning down once more to peck the younger’s lips and Niall really wished it could have lasted for longer than a second. 

“Can I… can I ask you something?” Niall started after a moment, feeling kinda embarrassed about it but also really curious.

“Sure, anything.” The older boy seemed confused that Niall had even asked him that in the first place. 

“So, when I was in heat and I woke up at night… and you offered to kinda… help me out… did you do that because you wanted to?” Actually, Niall didn’t know what answer he was hoping for, he was just now putting everything in perspective and seeing it all in a different light. 

Liam thought about it for a moment, as if he took the question really seriously and Niall tried not to think too much about that night or what he had done because even though Liam had already known that he liked him… it was still embarrassing to the younger boy somehow. 

“I did it because I just wanted to make you feel better in whatever way, it wasn’t about me at all. I felt really bad for you because of your wrist and then that infection and your heat all at once and I didn’t know what else to do to help.” The older boy explained and just when Niall had been about to ask whether that meant he would have actually hated to… _help_ him, Liam luckily continued. “I mean, yeah, it’s also hard for me when you’re in heat because of how my body works, but I would have NEVER taken advantage of you and used the chance to do anything. I genuinely was just worried about you and I wanted to make it better.” 

“Okay… I never thought you would have taken advantage or anything, I was just wondering… I, uh, the first time I went into heat, I was almost a bit disappointed that you didn’t seem affected by it.” Like, Niall wasn’t trying to embarrass himself here, but he also kinda wanted to drop a few hints, that he wouldn’t at all mind if Liam, like… if he ever wanted to take this even further anytime soon. 

“Believe me, I definitely was, I couldn’t not be. But it’s easier for me than for you because I can just hold my breath or go into another room.” Well, that didn’t exactly make Niall all too happy because if he was being honest, he actually only cared about whether Liam wanted him in general, not just when he was in heat, so he had to come up with something else.

“Is it gonna be harder from no on?” The younger boy asked without hesitation, his face feeling a bit hot and Liam reached out with one finger to trace his cheek as he answered. 

“I think it will be… but I’d never use it as a chance to start something, I promise. I don’t want us to just do it for the sake of it.” Right, well, that was really sweet of him to say, but at the same time… 

“But, um… you do… you do want us to, like, eventually, right?” Niall was a little bit scared now, there was no denying that, also because Liam had said he wanted to wait to bond with him (if they ever would, Niall suddenly wasn’t sure anymore because he also wasn’t that well informed) and what if that included sex as well?! “I mean, um… my next heat is kinda far away… “

There was a smile on the older’s face though when he cupped Niall’s in his palm, looking him straight in the eyes and waiting a moment before easing his worries. “I wanna have sex with you, Niall, don’t worry about that, okay? All I’m saying is I wouldn’t want us to just do it because you’re in heat and then have regrets afterwards or something. I wanna do it because we both want to do it.”

“Oh, okay, I, uh… I mean… I want to, so, like… just so you know, if you ever… if you ever want to as well.” Had that been too bold? Maybe, but at least it made Liam laugh right before he kissed Niall again. 

“You’re too cute, you know that?” Also, Niall was embarrassed as hell now. “Maybe not tonight?”

“Yeah, no, that’s not what I meant anyways.” Niall quickly tried to back out but he honestly wouldn’t have minded if Liam had wanted to have sex right then and there and he was pretty sure the older boy knew. “It’s also kinda late, so… “

“Yeah… are you getting tired now? I thought you never wanted to sleep again.” Liam joked, sadly rolling off of the younger boy now, but not completely, like, he did pull Niall with him so they could both lie on their sides, so it was alright. 

“I never said I didn’t want to, I just wasn’t sure if I’ll be able to… “ He still wasn’t, because what the hell? There was no way Niall would have believed it had anybody told him what would happen tonight. “Also… I don’t wanna wake up and find out it’s just been a really good dream or something.”

Not the best thing to say because it immediately caused Liam’s face to get more serious, almost sad, and Niall would have taken it back or played it off as a joke had he not been so distracted by Liam’s arm pulling him in closer before softly rubbing his back. “I’m sorry I waited so long to speak up about it… I knew you liked me for a while now, I just didn’t know if you ever even wanted to take it anywhere and I tried to figure out what I wanted too.”

“I know, you don’t need to apologize at all, I mean… it’s not like I couldn’t have said anything, so…” So really, it was Niall’s own fault. “I would have, if I had had any idea at all that… that you liked me back.”

“I can’t believe you thought I see you as my brother. I thought I was kinda being obvious about it.” Liam sounded really stunned by that still and yeah, maybe now that Niall knew, he felt a little stupid as well for having been so blind, but it was LIAM. 

“I don’t know, I just kept thinking that you could probably have anybody else and I… I don’t know. Louis kept calling you way too hot to be snogging me and-“

“Wait, what? He said that to you?” Wow, okay, that had gotten Liam more upset than Niall would have thought.

“No, not like that, he was just like, oh my god I can’t believe you snogged him because he’s so hot and a model and stuff.” Maybe Niall should have stopped calling Liam hot now because it was actually making him quite flushed.

“That’s the same thing. I’m gonna have a word with him, I think.” Niall didn’t know if Liam had been joking or not, he was pretty sure he had been, but there was no time really to find out. “I don’t know why you would think that I could have anybody or that I’m so hot or whatever, I wanna be with _you_ and nobody else. And looks don’t play any role in this, but just so you know, I’ve been attracted to you from the moment I first saw you at that party and you’re beautiful, Nialler, even if you’re blushing now, it’s the truth.”

“I, um… “ The younger boy started, not really knowing how to react because just a few hours ago he had longingly been staring at Liam and now they were cuddling in bed and the older boy was telling him he thought he was _beautiful?!_ “I think… I think I can sleep now.”

That made Liam laugh quite a bit, pulling the younger boy closer towards him so he could hug him while Niall’s cheeks were still burning hot as Liam kissed the top of his head. “Sorry for making you blush so much tonight, babe.”

“It’s okay… I’ll live.” Also, Niall wouldn’t have wanted to trade that night for anything in this entire world. 

It was true though that Niall was getting a bit more tired as they kept on talking about a bit less serious things and by the time Liam turned off the lights because the younger boy was too comfortable lying on his chest to move his arm, things had somehow gotten back to completely normal again. Except now Niall got to lift his head and try to find Liam’s lips in the darkness so he could get a goodnight kiss and when the older boy told him to have sweet dreams, Niall was more than sure that he would have.

 

\--------------------

 

Liam was up way before Niall because his mother called him to talk about them coming over in the evening and Liam tried to be as quiet as possible talking to her, but the younger boy didn’t even flinch anyways, he was just lying on Liam’s chest the whole time, his breath going even but otherwise not moving a single bit.

Afterwards, Liam tried going back to sleep for a little bit longer, but he quickly gave up on that again as he thought about last night and instead made sure to hold Niall tighter when he felt himself smiling. Now that all this had happened, Liam felt stupid for ever having doubted that Niall wanted this, that he wanted to be with him despite everything, but it also made him sad still to think that the younger boy somehow genuinely seemed to have thought he wasn’t Liam’s first choice.

Yeah, Liam had known all along that Niall must have felt something for him, and he had honestly thought he had been quite obvious about feeling something for the younger boy as well, but it seemed it had just ended in a misunderstanding. Had Liam known that, he would have spoken up sooner, as soon as he had been certain that he did indeed wanna be with Niall.

Then again, maybe it was good that he had waited a bit longer, until they had come here and Liam’s heart could have burst each time he saw Niall with his sisters. It felt so good now to know that Niall already knew his family and that they all loved him, that he had told him about the fighting and all that stuff and just… it was perfect this way, Liam was almost afraid that something would burst their bubble. 

He was still thinking about this whole Alpha Omega thing and all that came with it, but it’s not like it would have ever become a problem or anything, it was just Liam’s own thoughts about it, but they seemed a little unimportant after last night if he was being honest with himself. Maybe he had also used them as an excuse, just a little bit, because he had been nervous about speaking up about any of this. 

When Niall finally moved a bit, Liam made sure to keep on stroking his back and his arm wrapped around his stomach, pressing his lips against the younger’s forehead as he mumbled something while slowly waking up. “Liam… “

The first thing Liam thought about was how Niall had told him last night that he was afraid he’d wake up just to find it had all been a dream and because Liam absolutely hated that Niall felt this way, he made sure to get rid of his worries immediately. “I’m here, baby… can I get a kiss?”

“Hmm… “ Was all Niall made and Liam thought he was actually too tired to lift his head and he had only asked so that Niall knew it was all good, but he felt kinda bad about it when the younger boy really did force himself to move, his eyes still half closed as he kissed Liam on the lips. Fuck, Liam was never gonna get used to this, he could have kissed Niall literally all fucking day long. “’m so tired… “

“I can tell… you wanna sleep a bit longer, hm? It’s not that late.” Also, they had all day and tomorrow and if Niall wanted to sleep then that was completely fine, Liam didn’t care, he just wanted Niall to be happy and enjoying himself, whatever it was that they were doing. 

“Jus’ for five minutes… “ The younger boy mumbled after having put his head back down, snuggling tightly against Liam and the older boy made sure to keep the blanket tightly wrapped around the both of them, burying his face in Niall’s hair to breathe him in. Honestly, if they had just been lying here all day before going to his mother’s house, Liam wouldn’t have even been mad. 

He didn’t know if Niall actually went back to sleep or not, but they didn’t talk for quite a while and the younger boy kept moving once a while until he finally lifted his head once more, blinking against the light coming in through the window. Niall looked all soft and sleepy and Liam reached out to softly push some hair out of his face, not being able to resist though and keep on stroking it afterwards, somehow not being able to believe that he could do this all the time now.

“Did you sleep okay?” Liam asked, more than happy about the fact that Niall was leaning into his touch, half letting his eyes fall closed again after nodding. “Are you hungry?”

“Hmm… a little, but not too much yet… what’re we doing today?” Niall was slowly waking up more, but he still seemed exhausted.

“Whatever you want, babe. We can do more sightseeing or we can just take it easy if you’re tired or go buy all those things Louis wants you to get him.” Liam laughed softly when Niall rolled his eyes at that, putting his head back down a second time. “Or we just get ready and go out and then see what happens.” 

“Let’s just go out and… go somewhere.” Niall mumbled after a moment of thinking about it, at the same time though getting himself more comfortable again so Liam wasn’t quite sure when they’d actually get up. 

“Okay.” He remained silent for a little bit afterwards, running his fingers through Niall’s hair even though he knew it was probably making him really tired, even more than he already was. Liam wasn’t bored though, not at all, this was actually really nice and he couldn’t believe he had just randomly decided to have that talk with Niall last night, and the younger’s reaction of course. Now though, it all seemed crystal clear to Liam. 

“You know what’s gonna be super weird now?” The younger boy spoke up, almost making Liam flinch because he had been certain he had dozed off again.

“Hm?” Liam made, hoping that Niall didn’t think them being together would be weird in any situation. 

“I just explained to your sister yesterday how we’re brothers and now… I mean, she probably won’t find out today, but she will eventually.” Right, Liam hadn’t actually thought about that at all. 

“I mean, that’s kinda up to my mom to explain honestly, but it might confuse them both a little, that’s true. But… I do suggest we kinda, like, keep it down today when we’re there. I think I should tell my mom beforehand and not just surprise her or something. If that’s okay with you.” It was the same with Liam’s dad and Niall’s mom because even though they weren’t really that involved in their lives or asked many questions, it would have been strange to just walk in holding hands or something… 

“Yeah, of course, I… I gotta tell my mom too… not that I think she’d mind or anything, I think she kinda, like… she kinda already knew I liked you anyways.” Possibly, Liam was aware that both their parents must have noticed that they spent their nights in the same bed quite often though nobody had asked them about it. “This is so weird… “

“What is?” Liam asked though he kinda thought he already knew what Niall meant anyways and it made him a bit sad to think about the reason. 

“All of this… like, just a day ago I thought you’d never ever see me that way and… and Louis was texting me stuff about how I could find out whether you liked me or not and I was afraid I’d be too obvious whenever I wanted to sleep in the same bed as you… I mean, I probably was really obvious now that I think about it. That should have been a hint, I guess… it probably wouldn’t have been normal for us to do all this stuff if you had really seen me as your little brother.” Niall was kinda right there, and that had actually also been a reason for Liam to think that there was no way the younger boy didn’t feel anything for him. “Although Louis told me it could be because of what we are or something, I don’t know… but we met before that anyways.”

“I mean, we are probably unconsciously influenced by our DNA, but it can’t account for all of it because otherwise I’d be attracted to every single Omega that I’ve ever met and that’s just ridiculous.” Also the other way around, but knowing Niall, he had probably never even looked at an Alpha before Liam because of how biased he had been just a few weeks ago. Maybe Liam shouldn’t have been that proud about it. 

“Hmm, I don’t even care why you like me as long as you do.” The younger boy let out a soft laugh and it got Liam’s stomach twisting into knots, to think about just how much Niall seemed to wanna be with him. “’m so glad you said something last night… I would have never.”

“Me too, babe… “ Liam just hadn’t been able to hold it in any longer if he was being honest and spending so much time alone with Niall, doing things with his sisters and stuff, it all felt so domestic and just really nice and comfortable.

“So, like… “ Niall continued after a moment, clearly not knowing how to say what he was about to, but Liam didn’t interrupt him, just let him think. “So if, um… if I tell Harry and Louis, can I, I mean… so I can call you my boyfriend, right? I mean… we’re… dating, right? As in… exclusively?”

“Of course we are, Ni. Unless you don’t w-“

“I do, I want to, I want nothing more than that.” He answered way too fast but it made Liam smile and his heart ache at the same time as he squeezed his boyfriend for a second, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. 

“Me too. So yeah, you can call me your boyfriend and whatever else you want.” The fact that Niall was so eager to do that was maybe the best feeling ever, he was clearly so into Liam and the older boy wondered how he had ever had any doubts about this at all. It was so obvious now that they belonged together and Liam couldn’t remember the last time he had felt so at peace.

 

\------------------

 

Their last two days in London passed by a lot more quickly than Niall would have liked. Maybe it was because he was having the time of his life, holding Liam’s hand in public, getting to kiss him basically whenever the hell he felt like it, just being close to him and knowing that the older boy felt the exact same in return. It did feel like a dream still, but at least now Niall trusted that he was fully awake, that it was really happening.

They didn’t tell Liam’s mother anything when they were there for dinner on Saturday and they also barely touched, but it was fine, they had agreed on that beforehand of course. Because Liam’s sisters were so sad about them having to say goodbye for good this time, they basically stayed until it was their bedtime and Liam’s mother was more than happy to let Liam take over and get them ready for bed before reading them to sleep. Honestly, Niall wasn’t sure if he could have fallen even more in love with him than at this moment.

He did end up buying the stuff Louis wanted to have the next day, just because he was in a really good mood all the time now and especially whenever Liam held his hand, which was all the time pretty much. Like, it almost seemed a bit ridiculous how on top of each other they were ever since their talk, but at the same time Niall saw nothing wrong with it at all. He had wanted this since he had met Liam and now that he finally had him, he wasn’t going to hold back. 

“Did you finally tell Harry and Louis?” The only reason Liam asked was because Niall had been talking about it multiple times today, he just hadn’t really had time to or felt a need to because he had wanted to enjoy his time with Liam, and now that it was dark and they were driving back home from London, Niall suddenly didn’t know what to write anymore. 

“No, not yet. I don’t know what to say.” Niall could have just sent one of the selfies he had made Liam take with him, but it all still felt so surreal and like, taking it all in himself was pretty damn hard already. “Did you tell anybody?”

“I told Zayn because he asked.” Wait… what?

“Why’d he ask?” One second… had he known all along that Liam liked Niall?! “Did you talk about it with him before?”

“Kinda, yeah, but only briefly. That’s okay, right? I mean… you’re not like, upset?” The older boy suddenly seemed worried, throwing a look over at Niall because he had had to stop the car anyways so Niall made sure to shake his head immediately. Suddenly some things Zayn had said to him started making a lot more sense. 

“No, why would I be upset? He’s your friend. So… how’d you tell him? I need inspiration.” Niall joked, making Liam laugh for a moment and the sound alone caused the younger’s heart to grow a bit warmer. 

“He just texted me a few hours ago to ask how London was and then I told him. But he’s no Louis.” True. “Ni, just tell them, it’s no big deal… you’ve had relationships before, right?”

“I mean, yeah, but only one serious one and that was completely different anyways and I didn’t really have to tell my friends, so… um, how many people have you been with before me?” A good question, one that Niall had been wanting to ask for two days now but wasn’t sure he actually wanted to know the answer to.

“You mean… people I’ve dated?” Liam didn’t seem to like that question very much and almost immediately Niall had forgotten about texting Harry and Louis.

“I mean in general, like… people you’ve dated and haven’t dated.” Oh my god, were there that many?! 

“Well, I… I’ve dated 3 people before you, they were all Omegas, but just so you know, I haven’t bonded with any of them and it was years ago, I was younger then and… there were a few others I just hooked up with, um, I was a bit… getting ahead of myself as a teenager, when all this boxing started and you know what else and the tattoos and… but you were the first person I kissed in at least a year when we met at that party.” Okay, well, that wasn’t as bad as Niall had feared even though Liam sounded terribly guilty about it now even if there was no need to. 

“Okay, I was just asking, I mean, it’s not like it really matters anyways.” Not like Niall could have gotten jealous if Liam had indeed bonded with any of his exes, although in that case Niall wasn’t really sure how they would have even separated. Like, he knew it was possible of course, to break that bond, especially if it had kinda been the wrong person and didn’t mean a lot to either of them, but still. “I’ve hooked up with 3 people, but umm… I honestly still don’t know how I had enough courage to come onto you at that party.”

“Well, I’m glad you did, it was a boring party and you were my only highlight.” Kinda sounded like a lie, but Niall accepted it with a smile, especially because Liam reached over so that he could intertwine their fingers in Niall’s lap. “Maybe it was fate.”

“Maybe, yeah… I’m not sure if I believe in that but it seems like a lot of coincidences at once.” Especially them living together in the same house, like, what had the odds been? “You know how people always say that if you’re an Omega then you can only really find your soulmate or whatever if you’re dating an Alpha and the other way around? Do you think that’s true?”

Liam took his time with that one and Niall honestly felt stupid for ever having asked because… he couldn’t just ask Liam if he thought he was his soulmate, could he?! But it was too late for these worries now anyways.

“Maybe, I don’t know, it never happened to me with my past relationships, but that doesn’t make it untrue. It just seems kinda unfair to Betas and I don’t know if it’s a good idea to buy into all that… if you wanna be with somebody then you should.” Niall nodded along though Liam wasn’t looking at him anyways, on one hand relieved that Liam had such a positive outlook on things, on the other hand not being able to stop thinking that he would have really liked all of this to be true, and for Liam to be the one. But how could he have ever been sure anyways? “I don’t think we should worry too much about all this stuff.”

“Yeah… I was just wondering what you thought about it, is all.” The only thing Niall really worried about was his next heat if he was being honest, but he didn’t wanna think about that now. “I think I’m gonna text Harry and Louis now… no, wait.”

Liam had been about to pull his hand out of Niall’s, probably so he could text with both of them, but the younger boy actually had a completely different idea as he held onto Liam’s hand, keeping it in his lap. Maybe it was mostly because he had a newfound obsession of taking pictures with and of Liam, but the idea of taking a picture of their intertwined fingers and sending it to his friends seemed like a really good idea to Niall right now. Even if he’d probably regret it.

Also, he kinda forgot to write a caption afterwards, but neither Louis nor Harry were online to see it anyways, so Niall quickly made sure to write something along the lines of ‘don’t think I need your advice anymore Lou’, which, thinking about, sounded stupid as hell, but it was whatever really. 

“Did you just send them a picture of our hands?” Liam sounded really amused when he asked and actually, Niall wasn’t even embarrassed about it anymore. Liam was his boyfriend now, as fucking strange as that sounded, he KNEW Niall was in love with him, there was no need anymore to be worried about not being subtle enough. 

“Yeah, just in case they weren’t gonna believe me.” Harry would have, but Louis… 

“Could have also sent them one of the pictures you took of me at the zoo.” When Liam said that in the most amused voice, it took a moment for Niall to let it sink in and realize what he meant, and when he did, he felt himself blushing furiously. Oh my god.

“I, uh… I was, like… I was taking pictures of the animals. Mostly.” Maybe one or two. “You were blocking my sight.”

“Wow, okay, I’m really sorry then.” Liam joked, but when their eyes briefly met, it was obvious he knew the truth. And even if he hadn’t known before, Niall’s glowing face was giving it away anyways. 

“I couldn’t have sent them those though, um… ‘cos they are only of you and then I would have just seemed like a crazy stalker or something.” Even more than he already did right now by confessing to this. “I just realized I had no pictures of you… like, only the ones on your Instagram, but everyone can see those.” 

“You’re so cute, baby.” He seemed to really mean it, which only got Niall even redder than he had to begin with. He would never get used to this, would he? And Liam would just continue to say all these things because it amused him to see the younger boy getting all squirmy and embarrassed. Okay, maybe Niall didn’t mind all too much though. “You gotta send me the selfies we took.”

“Okay.” Niall didn’t have to be told twice, just the thought that Liam wanted them for himself got him all flustered all over again. And even more when he looked down at his phone. “Oh.”

“What?” Liam seemed concerned for a moment, which maybe was the right reaction without him even knowing. 

“Louis doesn’t believe it’s real, he said he’s sure we hold hands all the time.” He truly had sent that, probably as a joke though, but it still made Niall roll his eyes to himself.

“I mean, to be fair, we kinda did that a lot the past few days.” True.

“But Louis doesn’t know that though. I’m just gonna ignore him, I mean, I told them, they’ll see I wasn’t lying when we do the same at uni.” Niall knew Louis didn’t mean it and Harry told him congratulations shortly afterwards, but what worried Niall a lot more than whatever his friends thought about it was Liam’s reaction to what he had said. 

“Umm… about that… “ He started slowly, after some moments of hesitation and Niall having been busy with his phone so he was a little confused as he looked over, somehow automatically holding on more tightly to Liam’s hand, his stomach sinking a bit with disappointment when he realized.

“Oh, right, um… I forgot that… that not everybody should know… “ To be fair, Liam had never not talked to Niall at uni or held back with hugging him and stuff and a lot of people knew that they were living in the same house as well, but the younger boy imagined that if they were dating, things could potentially change.

“I’m not saying we have to change anything or that we can’t like, hold hands at uni or whatever, I just… I’m a bit scared if it comes out and more people talk about it and that eventually my boss will hear about it as well and, uh, I really don’t wanna drag you into this. It’s just for safety reasons though, I promise nothing will ever happen to you, okay? I just wanna be on the safe side.” Liam sounded guilty, but Niall really got where he was coming from and though it was calming to have the other boy reassure him like that, it also made the younger boy swallow quite hard. Should he have been worried for his own safety? Because he was already really worried about Liam’s. “Sorry if I freaked you out.”

“No, I get it… I mean, we talked about that before. But… if he does find out, what’s he gonna do?” Did Niall even wanna know? Because Liam surely didn’t seem as if he wanted to tell him, he slowly moved their intertwined hands over until he could kiss the back of Niall’s.

“Nothing, babe. I just don’t like the idea of him knowing how much you mean to me and that I’d do anything to keep you safe. But you _are_ safe, I promise, okay? There’s nothing at all to worry about.” Except this guy had been waiting for Liam’s dad after his work planning to do god knows what so there was that… “I promise we can do whatever you want outside of uni and wherever.”

“Hmm, I think you might wanna take that back in a few days.” Niall teased, trying hard to pretend like he didn’t mind the change of topic and as if he had already forgotten about it. How could he have though? 

“We’ll see about that.” Liam laughed, seemingly not too put off and though the younger boy had really only said it as a joke without anything in mind, it did make him think now. “Hey, did you already think about where you wanna stop to eat later?”

“Why? Are you so eager to find out what I have planned?” The younger boy joked, seeing Liam rolling his eyes from the side with a fond smile on his face that made his stomach grow a bit warmer. “Okay, okay, no, I haven’t, but I’m not too hungry yet. You can choose if you want, I don’t mind.”

Niall didn’t mind those small things anymore, he had just had the best weekend of his life pretty much and yeah, there were things they still had to talk about and stuff they needed to figure out, but Niall couldn’t have been any happier right now about how things had turned out.

 

\-----------------------

 

Nobody was home when they arrived, which was what Liam had expected because their parents had gone away over the weekend as well. So because it was really late, they pretty much got ready for bed immediately and Liam let Niall use the bathroom first, not being able to help his really stupid grin when he walked back to his room after showering as well and finding the younger boy all sprawled out across Liam’s bed. This was the first time that Niall had just gone to lie in Liam’s bed without making up some kinda excuse and the older boy thought that he could really get used to this. 

They both fell asleep rather fast, though Liam woke up sometime at night when their parents came home, but he passed out again quickly after making sure to have his arm secured around Niall and kissed the back of his exposed neck in front of him. 

In the morning, Liam’s lips felt kinda dry, probably from having snogged Niall for so long before they had gone to bed, but he still didn’t even think about not kissing the younger boy good morning. Fuck, he would be able to do that pretty much whenever he wanted right now and he still couldn’t actually believe how it felt to be doing it and seeing Niall’s face afterwards, the happy look, never wanting to stop kissing Liam as if it was the best thing in the world. It was. 

“So you finally did it, huh?” Zayn sounded kinda amused when Liam found him behind the back building of their university where he usually hung out because it was the only place where no one cared if the students smoked. Liam had been here smoking way too many times as well when he had first started uni, but he had quit and never looked back more than a year ago.

“No idea what you mean.” Liam lied while grinning, feeling a little giddy inside when he sat down next to Zayn, his lips still tingling from before when he had seen Niall randomly in the hallways and just because nobody else had been there except Harry and Louis, Liam had made sure to kiss him right in front of them. That’d surely convince them, right? Niall had literally been beaming at him afterwards as well. 

“I was getting scared you might chicken out and not talk to him. Thought I would have to do it all for you.” He probably would have, Liam knew that Zayn had talked to Niall that day he had told Niall the truth though he didn’t know any details, but back then Zayn had already known about Liam’s internal struggle, so it wasn’t hard to guess that he had probably tried to drop some hints. “How’s it feel to be in a relationship again after so long? Not that I’d know.”

“Feels really good, although it kinda feels like we’ve been in a relationship for longer than literally three days.” They had done all this stuff before and now they had basically just added the kissing and making out, and fuck, Liam needed to stop thinking about being close to Niall or he’d start missing him again after only a few minutes. 

“You’ve been acting like it too.” Zayn commented and he was probably right anyways. “But I get it, he’s quite cute and definitely knows what he wants, exactly your type.”

“My type? How would you even know that?” The people Liam had dated had all been really different personality wise and though they had all been Omegas, it wasn’t at all comparable. And Zayn hadn’t even met all of them. 

“Because I know you. You need somebody who literally wants to be all over you 24/7 but at the same time doesn’t just try to please you and agree with everything you say, and he’s exactly that, so I’m glad you finally managed to say something to him, I was getting sick of listening to your worries.” Obviously Zayn was just joking, he laughed when he saw Liam rolling his eyes, not really knowing what to say though because his friend was kinda right. 

They sat in silence for a little bit, Zayn finished smoking his cigarette before letting it drop to the ground and stepping on it with his foot and Liam was just lost in thoughts for a few moments, thinking about how he and Niall were going to tell their parents that they were together. They had agreed that they would do it tonight and Liam wasn’t too nervous, but he knew that the younger boy definitely was.

“Did you already get the message?” When Zayn mentioned it, Liam could feel his mood dropping almost at an instant, so he simply stuck to nodding. He had received it this morning, before Niall had woken up and luckily he had managed to somehow ban it into the back of his head rather quickly. Until this very moment. “What’re you gonna do about that?”

“Nothing, I don’t know… ‘s not like I have a choice, right? Whether I wanna do it or not, I mean. Especially now… “ It was true that now that Niall was his boyfriend, Liam had instantly gotten even more paranoid about the wrong people taking notice of just how close they were. If they found out Liam was in a relationship and he ever did as much as roll his eyes too obviously, they’d know his weakest spot. He would have done anything for Niall and it was more than dangerous if that knowledge came to the wrong people. “It’s still a while away anyways.”

“Yeah... I was kinda glad when I saw it though, I need the money.” Zayn always needed the money, he never made as much as Liam and Liam wished he could have switched with him. It wasn’t exactly something anybody really aimed for, to be the favorite and the go to person for whatever, maybe in the beginning, but not anymore once the realization settled in that there was no way out of this. 

“If you stopped smoking you could maybe pay your bills on time again.” Liam changed the topic on purpose because it only dragged him down and he wanted to live in this love bubble for a little while longer. 

“I’m not gonna quit, you know me. I’ll get by somehow, could always ask for an extra job.” Another thing most of them didn’t do unless they had no choice. 

“Don’t. You’re gonna get caught at some point and then I’ll have nobody to complain to anymore.” Obviously he had Niall, but there were things Liam couldn’t talk about to him because he knew it would have freaked the younger boy out like crazy. Also, the less he knew the better. “We gotta go, we’re going to be late.”

“God forbid.” Zayn joked, but he took Liam’s hand after the other boy had gotten up and thrown his backpack around his shoulder once more. 

Liam was slightly distracted in their next class together, partly because of what Zayn had brought up, but mostly because he was texting Niall underneath the table and Zayn quickly took notice of it, only shaking his head at Liam though with a small smile on his face.

 

\-----------------

 

“Maybe we shouldn’t tell them. You know, it’s not like we have to, we could just never say anything and they’d just notice at some point and probably not ask any questions. My mom would probably, but-“

“Baby.” Liam interrupted Niall’s rambling while he was pacing up and down in the living room while they were waiting for their parents to get home from going grocery shopping. Maybe not the most convenient time, but then again, it’s not like it’d take ages, maybe two minutes. “C’mere.”

“They could walk in here any second.” Niall seemed scared as he threw a look towards the door, but he did come over when Liam opened his arms for him, half sitting on his lap when the older boy hugged him close. “I’m gonna die.”

“You’re not, Nialler, it’s no big deal.” It genuinely wasn’t, especially because Liam kinda had a feeling Niall’s mother wasn’t clueless anyways. Plus, Niall had also been really happy about Liam literally half snogging him in front of Louis and Harry at uni today and he hadn’t stopped talking about the look on their faces all the way home in Liam’s car before.

“Feel my heart.” The younger boy told him, so Liam did, not really feeling all that much though so he just petted Niall’s chest for a moment, kissing at his cheek. 

“We’re gonna be just fine, love. I’m pretty sure they’re not completely clueless anyways, I mean… we’ve been sleeping in the same bed for quite a while now.” Also, Niall’s mother commented on them spending a lot of time together once a while. Then again, it’s not like it mattered, Liam was sure that their parents wouldn’t mind. “Your mom knows you like guys, right?”

“Yeah, ‘course… I just don’t want her to be all in our faces and stuff all the time if she finds out and-“

Niall got interrupted when they both heard the front door and he literally _jumped_ out of Liam’s arms and out of his lap, making the older boy laugh as he remained seated for now. He did think about what he would say because he knew he’d have to be the one to do it, but he didn’t worry too much.

“Anybody home?” Liam’s dad called out, so they made sure to go over, Niall throwing a few nervous glances at Liam, keeping more distance between them than he normally did. 

“Hi, boys. Do you mind taking this?” Their parents had bought quite a bit of stuff, so they helped bringing it all to the kitchen and Liam made sure to brush Niall every few seconds because it made the younger boy glare at him, as if anybody was actually paying attention to them.

“How was London? Did you enjoy it, Niall?” Liam’s dad asked once they were done putting everything away and they were all just standing in the kitchen, Niall clearly tensing when Liam put a hand on his back, letting out a nervous laugh. God, he was so fucking cute.

“Yeah, I really did, it was great.” He answered way too quickly and Liam kinda wanted to add something, but the younger’s mother was a lot faster. Liam had already noticed that she seemed really happy for some reason and that their parents had been whispering to each other before and he suddenly had an idea about what exactly had happened and why they had spent the weekend away as well.

“Sorry, I just really wanted to tell you boys since last night already” She started, Liam’s father smiling as well and Liam knew what was up before she even said it or held up her hand. “We got engaged.”

“Wh-“

“Wow, congratulations, that’s great.” Liam interrupted Niall, who was clearly shocked because well, it was kinda inconvenient. Not that it’d change anything, but it didn’t exactly help when Niall’s mother kept on talking.

“Now you boys are really gonna be step brothers and not just tell people you are.” It was a joke and they all laughed, Niall kinda uncomfortably and Liam decided that it was now or never. But he was the only one who seemed to think that.

“Actually, we-“

“I’m so happy for you, mom.” Niall cut Liam off, very obviously bumping into him to quietly tell him to shut his mouth as he walked over to go hug his mother and Liam just watched him with a smile, slowly shaking his head to himself. 

There was no doubt that things were going to change from now on and they HAD to tell their parents at some point, but if Niall wanted to wait until they found out on accident, then Liam actually didn’t care. He had everything he wanted right now and whatever Niall wanted and what made him happy was what made Liam happy as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> soooo i hope you all enjoyed this chapter!! this is kind of like a mid season break now hahaha (except idk if its the middle :p)
> 
> ill upload the next chapter on the 10th of August, but if you wanna leave me a comment i will find time to answer because im gonna be on the train quite a lot <3


	12. Chapter 12

“Why would they even get married? I mean, what’s the point? My mom never talked to me about it and also, they don’t even know each other for that long.” Niall was pacing up and down in Liam’s room while the older boy was just following him with his eyes while lying on his bed, trying to bite back a smile. So much about telling their parents tonight, they had been downstairs for an hour talking about the wedding and Niall had cut Liam off every time he had attempted to speak up until the older boy had just let it drop. Obviously if Niall didn’t want to tell them, Liam wouldn’t push him to do it, even if it was pointless to wait.

“Is that your view on marriage?” Liam asked, kinda amused when he saw the younger boy stopping, his face falling a bit as he struggled to answer as quickly as possible.

“No, no, that’s… that’s not what I meant at all. I didn’t mean, like, marriage in general or anything, I, um, I wanna get married one day, I think, I just… I just meant because they’ve only been together for a bit over a year and also, I… it came a bit out of nowhere and, um… anyways, no, that’s not my view on marriage at all, I swear, I-“

“Baby, I was just kidding, yeah? It’s fine, no need to get so stressed out about it, I wasn’t planning on proposing anytime soon anyways.” The older boy laughed, even more when he saw how red the younger’s face had gotten at an instant. Fuck, he was so cute, Liam could barely stand him being all the way across the room, all of this was still so new because it had only been a few days of course, but then again… they had been really close before that. Only now Liam got to kiss Niall whenever he wanted. “I don’t know about your mom, but I’m actually not surprised my dad proposed to her. They aren’t all too young anymore, so why would they wait? And you guys already moved in here as well.”

“Yeah, but… it’s… weird.” Niall finally concluded after hesitating, slowly coming over to the bed though and Liam immediately opened his arms, smiling when the younger boy crawled across the mattress until he could just let himself fall against Liam, pushing his head into the crook of his neck as Liam hugged him close. “I don’t wanna tell them we’re together.”

“Why?” Liam was rubbing his palm over Niall’s back while playing with his hair with his free hand, leaning his head against the younger boy’s and just taking this moment in. They had cuddled so many times, but ever since Friday night, everything felt so much more intense and intimate and Liam still couldn’t believe he could have had this much sooner. 

“Because of the way my mom said how we’ll be real step brothers soon and stuff, I thought that she kinda knew about… you know, that I like you that way, but now I feel like she really doesn’t. I feel like she’ll be super surprised now and maybe find it weird and maybe your dad does as well and then everyone will think we’re real brothers who are dating or something and… I don’t know. I don’t know why I care so much, I’m sorry, it’s not that I don’t want everyone to know that we’re together, it’s just… our parents.” Niall sounded really guilty as he explained himself and though Liam still didn’t see a reason to keep it a secret from their parents, he also got where the younger’s fear was coming from.

“We don’t have to tell them, we can also just wait and see what happens like you suggested before. They never asked us about sleeping in the same rooms either, but they will find out eventually.” Also, Liam really didn’t wanna have to hold back at home and not be able to touch Niall that much, but if that was what the younger boy wanted…

“No, that’s stupid as well… we should tell them. Just not tonight.” It was already kinda late for that anyways, but Liam immediately agreed, pressing a kiss to the top of the younger’s head before allowing his eyes to fall closed. “What kinda wedding do you think they’ll have?”

“A giant one.” There was no need to sugar coat it really, it was going to be stressful as hell. “When my parents got married they invited like 200 people and my dad rented a whole yacht.”

“Wow… I’ve never been on a yacht… do you think he’d do that twice?” It sounded like a joke, but Liam wasn’t sure if it actually was one.

“I don’t think so. But whatever he thinks of, it’ll be crazy for sure. I’m just a little worried they are gonna have the two of us do something and take part.” Liam was okay with giving a speech, he was just a little worried whether Niall would be as well because he could already feel him tensing up a bit against him, kinda regretting having spoken up. “But it’s still really far away anyways, don’t worry about it, I’m sure it’ll be fun. And if you wanna go on a yacht then tell me and we can do that sometime.”

“I… I didn’t mean it like that, but… seriously? Not that I wanna go so badly, I was just surprised, is all.” He also sounded like it as well and Liam made sure to tighten his arms around him, hold him even closer if that was any possible. If Niall only knew that Liam would have done absolutely anything at all he asked for. 

“’course. We can go wherever and do whatever you want.” Liam genuinely meant it, like, he was aware that just a few days ago he had had worries about all this, but ever since finding out just how much Niall wanted to be with him and these few days passing, Liam had never been more sure about anything else. Maybe there was something to this whole soulmate thing after all. 

“It’s okay, we don’t have to go anywhere… I like being at home as well, I… “ Niall broke off, clearly hesitating and just when Liam had been about to say something, the younger boy continued a bit more quietly. “I don’t care where I am as long as you’re there too.”

Almost immediately when Niall said those words, or half whispered them more like, Liam could feel his heart swell but sink at the very same time, his throat suddenly feeling a bit tight as he was again reminded of that stupid text message he had talked to Zayn about at uni. Liam had managed to forget about it and he knew he would have to tell Niall about it at some point, but he really, really did not want to. Especially now.

“You’re so fucking cute, you know that?” Liam truly meant it, he wasn’t trying to embarrass the younger boy even though he knew that he probably had, but he also just wanted him to know how much he meant to him. 

“Shut up… “ Niall mumbled against Liam’s skin, which wasn’t a big surprise and it made Liam smile despite the fact that he was still thinking about his conversation with Zayn. 

“You know I won’t, I’m just telling you how it is, baby.” Pressing another kiss onto the top of the younger’s head in front of him, Liam moved a little bit just to get into a more comfortable position and it immediately caused Niall to whine, holding on tighter to him as he probably thought he was trying to get up. “I’m not going anywhere, Nialler.”

“Good… I wouldn’t let you anyways.” He was clearly tired and Liam had to admit that he felt quite the same even if he was painfully aware of the fact that neither of them had showered or brushed their teeth or done anything at all to get ready for bed. Then again, there was still time for that in the morning, right? “I still can’t believe you kissed me in front of Harry and Louis today, Louis genuinely didn’t believe that we’re together, he was so shocked.”

“Well, just let me know and we can do a whole lot more in front of them.” Liam joked, but it did make Niall laugh as well as if he was really considering it. “Why did he think you would lie about that though?”

“He said he didn’t think I would ever be brave enough to do anything about it… I mean to be fair, you did do all the work and I didn’t do anything, so I suppose he was right. But anyways, he does believe it now… but you know what would be really fun though?” Oh god, did Liam want to know judging by Niall’s voice?

“Hm?” He made, not quite sure and a little surprised when Niall suddenly lifted his head so they could look at each other, his grin a bit too wide as Liam softly pushed some hair out of his face.

“If you’d come to the cinema when I’m working and my coworker is there as well.” Wait…

“Oh my god, Niall, seriously?” Liam almost couldn’t believe when the younger boy started giggling after shrugging, as if he really thought that was a brilliant idea. “Maybe you misunderstood something, I’m pretty sure she doesn’t have a crush on m-“

“She does, she told me. She wanted me to set you guys up and she asked if I was dating you and if I ever had sex with an Alpha before, it was… bizarre.” Okay, well, that DID sound bizarre, but still…

“But you gotta keep working with her, I’m not sure if that’d be a good idea.” Also… “Have you had sex with an Alpha before?”

“No, I haven’t… I still think it’d be a good idea.” Niall shrugged, his cheeks tainted slightly pink now and before Liam could respond, the younger boy was suddenly kissing him kinda urgently, probably because he wanted to switch the topic so Liam just let him, kissing back slowly while smiling against the younger’s lips. 

Liam was kinda aware that things wouldn’t always go so smooth, but he didn’t care just one bit when Niall had fallen asleep in his arms a little while later and he just stayed awake a bit longer, feeling the younger boy against him and holding him tightly, just trying to capture the moment for as long as somehow possible.

 

\----------------------

 

“I know you will hate me for asking this, but-“

“Maybe you shouldn’t say it then.” Niall was already worried enough about the things coming out of Louis’ mouth sometimes, so if he started them this way… “I’m sure we can both live on without-“

“Did you have sex with Liam?” Oh god, why?

“No- I mean, what’s it to you?” Could Louis just be normal for once?! Niall’s face had gotten bright red because they were in fucking public having lunch together because both Harry and Liam were busy with uni still and also, Niall and Louis hadn’t really spent a lot of time alone for a while. Right now Niall kinda knew why. 

“I was just wondering, is all… I’ve always wondered what it’s like to be knot-“

“Please stop talking.” Was he being serious right now?! “We’ve only been together for a week and… even if I had slept with him I wouldn’t tell you about it.”

“Why not? I’m your best friend.” Louis genuinely tried to make Niall feel guilty now and the other boy just rolled his eyes as he took another bite of his food, a big one so he could be finished with it sooner. 

“You’re not my best friend.” Niall told him, mostly because he was a bit uncomfortable right now but also because it was a little bit true. Not that it mattered because they were adults and not, like, 12 years old, but still.

“Liam’s your boyfriend, he can’t be both. If you guys broke up I’d be there to console you.” Now that didn’t make Niall wanna talk, at ALL.

“We’re not breaking up.” Well, Niall didn’t know that of course, but like… he was an Omega and Liam was an Alpha and if they ever bonded then… it was different than other relationships. “If you always wanted to be knotted why didn’t you?”

“I’m not an Omega, it would have hurt like shit? I don’t wanna be knotted, I just wondered what it’s like.” He shrugged, as if this was suitable lunch conversation and sadly, Niall felt like it truly was to him. “I mean… your body is made for it and stuff, it surely won’t even hurt a little bit and-“

“I’m eating?” Niall interrupted, mostly because he was so blushed right now that he could barely even think straight. The thing was, he had thought about all this a lot as well, about sleeping with Liam and stuff and they hadn’t done anything besides snogging the past few days and cuddling and stuff, but it had only been a week anyways. Still, Niall would be going into heat again eventually and he knew Liam wouldn’t want them to have their first time then, but like… Niall wouldn’t have minded, at all. 

“So? It’s not gross, it’s something natural.” Louis shrugged again, but at least he stayed quiet momentarily to eat something as well while Niall threw a few worried glances around, making sure no other people had decided to sit too close to them. “Imagine if he gets you pregnant.”

At this, Niall almost spat out his food, not because the thought was so off turning but because it had been so fucking random. “I’m on this pill, he can’t get me pregnant.”

“I mean, those pills aren’t 100% safe and have you ever looked at your boyfriend? If somebody can, then it’s him.” Louis was saying this stuff to get on Niall’s nerves, the other boy knew that but he still reacted probably exactly how Louis had hoped he would. 

“I’ve been looking at him more than you ever will, so thanks for that. I’m still on the pill and he’s not gonna get me pregnant, okay?” Not anytime soon at least. “And if we have sex then I’m not even gonna tell you just one bit about it.”

“Rude, it was just a normal question. But don’t worry, I’d still help you out and babysit.” Louis laughed when Niall rolled his eyes and Niall decided to just give up, this was just so Louis, he knew him long enough to know that he wasn’t just gonna let it drop. “Kinda convenient that you live in the same house as your mom and his dad, they’d surely help out too…. Wait, have you even told them that you’re together yet?”

“Um, no.” Niall answered truthfully, now just picking at what was left of his food. Another topic he didn’t like talking about.

“Why? Aren’t they gonna get married soon? Then it’d be even weirder to tell them.” Very true, but apparently Louis didn’t care that he was just rubbing salt into the wound at this point. 

“I don’t know, we were going to and then… my mom told us about the engagement and how we’re going to be real step brothers once they get married and things just got weird so we never told them. But it’s only been a week anyways, they don’t need to know right away.” Or ever.

“How have they not figured it out yet though? You all live in the same bloody house and it’s big yeah, but not THAT big.” Louis seemed very confused, probably because he had gone off telling his parents about Harry even while still kissing him for the first time or something. 

“They’re not home that much, um… ever since we moved there I don’t talk to my mom a lot anymore, she’s always busy and so is Liam’s dad and… anyways, we don’t like, make out in the middle of the kitchen or something.” Well, they had, but Louis didn’t need to know that, did he? “I don’t know about Liam and his dad really, but they’re not very close I think, never have been.”

“Hmm, that’s kinda sad though. How’d you think they will react once they find out?” Another good question and yet Niall could only shrug again.

“Don’t know. Either they won’t care or they’ll be super in our faces… I can’t imagine them being against it though, but like… who knows?” Also, Liam had introduced Niall as his brother to everyone he knew, so that was another thing. 

“I think you should just get it over with to be honest, they’re gonna find out anyways, so what’s the point? And it’s not like you and Liam are real brothers or anything, it was more like a joke between you, right? Also, if I were your mom, I’d be pissed finding out on accident.” Louis would have probably been even more pissed if HE had had found out on accident.

“You’re not my mom though, she’s not like that at all.” Or maybe she was about this particular thing, she had been kinda pissed Niall hadn’t told her he was an Omega right away so there was that. “Anyways, I gotta think about it.”

“You had no problem telling me and Harry and asking Liam to snog you right in front of us on Monday.” That still made Niall laugh, their faces, or Louis’ in particular, had just been too fucking good. 

“I told you, I didn’t ask him to do that, he just did it because he wanted to.” And he had been doing it all week long because despite the fact that he had told Niall he wanted to be careful at uni, it was amazing how easy it was to sneak away and out of sight for a little bit between classes.

“Right.” Louis smirked and for some reason that got Niall really worked up, probably exactly what the other boy had been trying to achieve. 

“Fine, don’t believe me, I don’t care.” He did. “Also, just so you know, you’re not invited to any future parties or-“

“Oh my god, Niall, calm down, yeah? I was kidding, I know he loves you or he wouldn’t have ever put up with your mood swings and all that. You know it’s true.” Sadly, that WAS true.

“It was only because I was presenting as an Omega, I don’t have that many mood swings anymore.” Niall grumbled while still picking at his food, deciding that enough was enough. Even if he kinda enjoyed hearing Louis talking about Liam loving him. Like, they had told each other that they loved each other, but that had been before they had had their talk, so like… Niall didn’t really know what that meant now. “Why are we always just talking about me? What about _your_ relationship?”

“I mean, you know Harry really well and there’s not much to talk about really. You and Liam on the other hand… much more interesting. Don’t pull that face, Nialler, I am genuinely happy for you, you know that, right? I was really worried for a bit how all this would end if I’m being honest, I was hoping he was into you as well but I couldn’t know for sure obviously, so… I’m glad he’s not the type to just ignore things until they go away eventually like you.” Niall was exactly that type of person, it was true. First, he had been trying to ignore Harry and Louis hanging out without him, then his crush on Liam, then wherever Liam went at night and now… he was kinda trying to ignore what would happen if he didn’t tell his mom about any of this. “But I think you make a good couple, not that I know Liam that well, but… we could change that.”

“I thought you get intimidated by him.” Why was still a mystery to Niall, like, Liam was the sweetest and funniest and most caring person Niall had ever and would ever meet. He was probably a whole lot biased though.

“I did, sort of, I don’t know. But imagine how much fun it would be if we all did things together, we’ve literally never done that before, we’ve never been in relationships at the same time for very long.” Luckily.

“I’ve only been with Liam for a week now as well.” Niall didn’t enjoy saying that, but it was true nevertheless, even if it felt like longer. And a whole lot different than any time before. 

“So? I feel like you guys are just gonna turn into one of those couples everyone hates hanging out with because they just snog all the freaking time and get married after a year and then grow old together.” Louis rolled his eyes at that, as if he truly meant that and though the other boy knew he had said it to annoy him, it actually made Niall really happy. He would have honestly married Liam right at this very second, as stupid as that sounded. 

“You only want us all to hang so that you can get to know Liam better and then pester him about our sex life instead because you know I won’t tell you anything.” And a whole lot other things probably. 

“I’m hurt you think this way about me.” Louis pretended to be shocked and Niall just let out a sigh as the other boy laughed before suddenly becoming serious again. “In all honesty though, I feel like you should tell me about it when it happens, I-“

“I’m done eating, I think we should go.” Niall interrupted as quickly as somehow possible, his cheeks already having turned hot again and though Louis agreed to leaving, he did get onto Niall’s nerves all the way to the bus station.

The thing was, as annoyed as Niall pretended to be about all this, he wasn’t actually. He liked talking about Liam and he liked Louis giving him a reason to talk about him and he might have even answered one of his questions if he had known an answer to them. Fact was though, Niall had no idea what it was like sleeping with an Alpha and as ready as he felt to go further with Liam, he also knew that they should have probably talked about it in more depth before it would happen. And he was kinda nervous for that.

 

\--------------------

 

Liam dropped Zayn off at his place before denying an offer to come inside because they both knew the other boy had just asked out of politeness and Liam wanted to get home anyways. That was maybe why their friendship worked so well, they didn’t really have to talk about these kinda things and they just knew each other so well that there was never really a reason to argue. 

It had been a really long day and Liam just wanted to get home and see Niall and listen to whatever he wanted to tell him because nothing sounded better right now. The younger boy had no work tonight, for which Liam was thanking the heavens because he wasn’t sure if he would have physically been able to separate himself from his boyfriend again tonight. It had only been a week and Liam couldn’t even imagine anymore what it had been like before.

He had been texting with Niall throughout the day, so it’s not like he didn’t know what he had been up to, but that still didn’t compare to actually being able to hold him and talk to him and fuck, Liam knew he was really gone for this boy, but how could he have not been?

Niall’s mother was home, so Liam made sure to make a quick trip to the living room to say hi to her and have some small talk before going upstairs, taking two steps at once because he couldn’t fucking wait. The door to his own room was open, so Liam just quickly chugged his backpack on the bed before walking over to Niall’s closed one, only briefly knocking because the younger boy had told him he should just come inside once he was home.

Maybe Liam shouldn’t have been so surprised to see what he saw though. 

Niall was most definitely in his room, but he was deep asleep on his bed, the covers half on the floor and his arms wrapped around a pillow and he just looked so soft and sleepy that Liam remained in the door frame for just a moment to take it all in. He had seen Niall sleep probably hundreds of times, but it never failed to give him a rush of fondness and protectiveness over the younger boy. And even more so now.

Eventually, Liam made sure to close the door as quietly as possible before walking over to Niall’s bed, carefully picking up the blanket to place it over him before leaning down to gently kiss his cheek, lips just ghosting over the younger’s skin so he wouldn’t wake him on accident before half lying down next to him.

There were a few assignments Liam could have done and exams he could have studied for, but instead, he was just staring at Niall, eventually not being able to resist the urge any longer to reach out for him. He was so gorgeous and it still bothered Liam that he knew Niall thought he wasn’t good looking enough to be dating Liam or some shit, because one, it wasn’t like any of that mattered and two, it wasn’t true, not in the slightest. 

Liam ran his fingers through the younger’s hair slowly, brushing over Niall’s soft cheek and just barely touching his thumb to his bottom lip, feeling the small puffs of air against his skin as the younger boy slept. He was usually a really deep sleeper, so Liam wasn’t too worried, but he was still being as gentle as possible.

After a while though, Liam did decide to leave the room for a moment, just to change into more comfortable clothes and use the bathroom for five minutes, but apparently it had been long enough to wake the younger boy. 

“Good morning, baby.” Liam smiled when he entered the room again, closing the door behind himself once more.

“It’s not really morning though, right?” Niall looked really panicked for a moment, waiting until Liam was shaking his head before stretching and rubbing his eyes. “Thank god… “

“It’s only 7 at night or something… you okay?” Liam went back to his original position, making sure to tug Niall in a bit more though when he moved, feeling a smile spreading on his lips when the younger boy reached out for him.

“Yeah… just tired…. Kiss me.” Niall demanded sleepily and Liam was only too happy to oblige, he had been waiting for this moment all day but it honestly felt like it had been a lot longer than that.

Liam went really slow and gentle, but it was Niall who immediately wrapped his arms around his neck to pull him in closer, wanting to deepen the kiss so obviously Liam let him. It just felt so damn nice to be lying here with Niall after a long day, just kissing him with no rush or anything, his fingers twisting into Liam’s hair as he tried to get him even closer, his tongue slipping into Liam’s mouth the first chance he got. 

Cleary, the younger boy couldn’t have been that sleepy anymore if he wanted to have a full blown make out session with Liam after waking up two minutes ago. 

When they pulled apart Liam felt a bit breathless, his mouth tasting like Niall as he continued to pepper the younger’s face with kisses until he was laughing a bit and Liam felt his chest loosen and warmth spreading in his stomach. 

“I missed you today.” Niall told him after a moment, even if it made his cheeks pink and Liam kissed him again just because he couldn’t have resisted if he had tried.

“I missed you too, love.” More than he would ever know. “How was your day?”

“Alright, I guess… Louis was asking a few too many questions.” Niall rolled his eyes a bit while saying that and Liam smirked, leaning down to press his lips against Niall’s forehead as well. He was lying pretty much on top of the younger boy now, keeping him trapped between his arms on either side of him and Niall still had his wrapped around Liam’s neck, playing with the hem of his shirt. “How was yours?”

“Boring, too many lectures and too many people at the gym.” Liam had cut his time there short, a little because it had been too crowded but also because he had been wanting to come home anyways and Zayn hadn’t minded.

“Hmm… you should take me to the gym with you sometime.” That was a bit of a surprise because those words had surely never left Niall’s mouth before but Liam kinda had a feeling he knew what he meant anyways.

“To work out?” He asked with a knowing grin, brushing some hair out of Niall’s forehead as the younger boy huffed.

“No, so I can watch.” Niall said it without any shame whatsoever and it made Liam laugh but at the same time he kinda thought about it for real, like, if Niall wanted to come, why not? “Did you go with Zayn?”

“Yeah. But if you really wanna come then we can go by ourselves.” Liam promised, not only because he knew Niall would have preferred that but also the other way around actually. Any chance they got to spend time together by themselves, Liam would gladly take it without thinking twice. 

“Okay, but only if you promise you’re not gonna make me work out with you, I’d just look like a complete idiot.” Though he was laughing, Liam knew he kinda meant it and that was definitely not the way he wanted Niall to think, ever.

“You wouldn’t. It’s not like I go to the gym every single day and even if I did… it’s whatever. I won’t make you do anything at all.” Then again… “I know that when you first moved in with us, I overdid it with the healthy food and working out advice, and I’m sorry if that ever came across the wrong way. I know it annoyed you and I kept doing it anyways and I’m sorry.” 

“You don’t have to be sorry though, it didn’t really annoy me, I was just glad you were talking to me actually, um… even if that sounds stupid. I know you were only doing it kinda in a joking way anyways and so we’d have something to talk about, so… it’s whatever. And I do agree that eating cereal every single day out of spite was probably pretty unhealthy.” Niall was smiling, not at all sounding as if he was angry at Liam or as if he was lying so the older boy relaxed again, briefly kissing Niall on the mouth. “Still sounds kinda good right now though.”

“It does… I haven’t eaten since this morning.” Liam kinda said it without thinking really, but he should have really expected the younger’s reaction. 

“What? Why not?” Niall sounded very concerned and Liam kinda hated himself for making him worry when he had literally only forgotten to eat because he had had no time. 

“No time and I kinda forgot. It’s okay, babe, ‘m fine, I’m gonna eat something later, I really don’t wanna get up right now though.” Or ever again because it was way too comfortable and comforting to be lying here like this with the younger boy. 

Niall didn’t seem very convinced, but he still gave in easily when Liam leaned down to kiss him some more, not even to distract him or anything, just because he really wanted to. Liam eventually rolled them around a little bit, softly pulling Niall with him until it was the younger boy who was kinda lying on top of him and Niall made sure to cover Liam with the blanket as well once they had pulled apart once more. 

“I, um… “ Niall started after a while, his head resting on Liam’s chest and the older boy was busy running his fingers through Niall’s hair, not really knowing what to expect but also not too worried because he was feeling really at ease right now. “I was thinking that… I was wondering if we could talk about something. Just because Louis kinda… he kinda made me think about it, which will sound really stupid once you know what I mean, but uh… yeah.”

“We can talk about anything, babe. What is it?” Liam could feel the younger boy tensing up a little against him, so he made sure to hold him tighter, pressing a kiss to the top of his head.

“I was just… I mean, I thought that we should probably-“

And then Niall was cut off by Liam’s phone vibrating on the bedside table where he had put it when he had first come in here. It was really bad timing, but also, it immediately caused Liam’s stomach to drop and his heart to sink as he thought about who this probably was. 

“You can answer it, it’s fine.” Niall told him after having lifted his head, seemingly confused about Liam not moving a single muscle. 

“Um… okay.” Liam had to answer the phone anyways, but he had no bloody idea how to have this conversation when Niall was literally right there listening to every word he said. And Liam couldn’t have even excused himself and left the room because it would have only made the younger boy suspicious as hell.

For just a second, Liam still had hopes that this wasn’t about what he feared it was, but as soon as he saw the screen of his phone, that hope had vanished and was being replaced by anxiety. Liam sat up as slowly as possible because it was forcing Niall to do the same, trying his best to keep a straight face as he answered the call because he was aware of the younger boy watching him, playing with Liam’s free hand. 

“Yes?” Liam had to suppress a sigh, he hated this so much right now, he almost just wanted to end the call. Not that that would have changed anything.

“I found you someone for tonight, I’ll text you the address in a bit.” Fuck.

“I, uh… I can’t tonight.” Liam decided that it was worth a try, it had worked before, it all depended on whether the man on the other line was in a good or a bad mood. 

“And why is that?” He wasn’t yelling yet, so that was a good thing, but it didn’t mean anything and just the thought of the consequences made Liam’s heart beating faster and he knew Niall was probably already worried, but there was nothing he could have done to change that right now. 

“It’s a family thing, I have to be there.” What else was he supposed to say? He couldn’t mention Niall, he never would have. 

“Well, lucky for you we only start at midnight, surely that family thing will be over by then, right?” Right, there was no way Liam would be able to get out of this, no bloody way. 

“Yeah. Probably.” He just gave in immediately, actually kinda wanting to cry by how little he wanted to do this, he had been looking forward to just spending the night with Niall and then falling asleep with him and now… none of that was going to happen.

“Good. I’ll see you later then, make sure you warm up.” And then the call was over and Liam had to suppress a defeated sigh as he put his phone back on Niall’s bedside table, suddenly feeling sick to his stomach when he looked at his boyfriend once more.

“Who… who was that?” Niall sounded scared when he asked, so Liam already knew that he knew and it made him wanna punch himself in the face. 

“I… c’mere.” Liam made sure to softly pull Niall to straddle his lap, just wanting to have him close right now even if he knew that it wasn’t going to make things any better. He had to tell Niall, he couldn’t and wouldn’t keep this from him. “It was my boss.”

“Oh… “ Was all Niall said at first and it was literally killing Liam inside to see his face fall with disappointment, sadness spreading in it as well as obvious panic and he made sure to hold on a bit tighter to him, trying to overplay his own nervousness.

“Hey, it’s all good, it’ll be quick, I promise and I only gotta leave in a few hours.” Clearly, that was not calming Niall down in any way whatsoever, if anything, it was only causing him to freak out even more. 

“You gotta fight tonight?” Niall sounded as if he was actually going to break out into tears any second and Liam just knew that if he would, he would be crying right along with him. So instead, Liam tried even harder to keep a straight and somewhat happy face, keeping one hand on Niall’s hip while cupping his face with the other. 

“Yes. But it’s going to be okay, baby, I promise, I’ll be back as fast as I can.” And hopefully in one piece, Liam had no information on who he would have to fight and he hated making Niall these promises that he didn’t know he could keep. 

“Can you say no?” Niall sounded desperate, completely ignoring what Liam had said and the older boy could literally see how much more panicked he was becoming with every second passing and there was no way for him to stop it. Fuck. 

“I tried, but-“

“Please don’t go.” The younger boy suddenly interrupted, his arms wrapping around Liam’s neck while the older boy was still surprised, holding on so desperately to him as if it was going to keep him right where he was. “Please, Li. Stay here with me.”

“Nialler… “ Liam started, his throat suddenly feeling really tight. Fuck, he hated this so much, he didn’t know what the fuck to do and the thing was, tonight was only a normal fight, Liam could only imagine what Niall would say once he told him the really bad news that he had been keeping from him for days now. “You know I wouldn’t go if I didn’t have to.”

“But… can’t you somehow talk yourself out of it? He could call someone else.” Niall’s fingers were pulling so tightly on the hair in the back of Liam’s neck that it almost hurt. 

“He wouldn’t let me do that… I tried. Look, it’s nothing I haven’t done a hundred times before, I promise, baby.” Well, Liam didn’t know that, but what he did know was that knowing he had promised Niall he’d be back as quickly as possible was the best motivation in the entire world. “Everything will be fine.”

“You can’t know that, Li, it can’t always be just fine, I… I’m so scared.” When he said the last part, he was almost only whispering and Liam saw the tears shimmering in his eyes as he rubbed his thumb over the younger’s cheekbone, feeling like the biggest asshole in the entire world. “I wouldn’t know what to do if anything happened to you, I wouldn’t even know about it.”

“Nothing will happen to me, love, I-“

“But it already did once and probably a hundred times before. You literally had to go to the hospital a while ago and you always come home with bruises and… I don’t want you to get hurt, it’s killing me having to wait here not knowing when or if you’ll come home.” Now he was really begging Liam to stay without saying the actual words and though Liam knew he couldn’t, he didn’t say it, just tried to force those tears that were about to trip over back inside his body. 

“I won’t get hurt and I’ll come back home as quickly as I can. That’s a promise.” What else was Liam supposed to say, really? Niall was about to freak out and the thing was, Liam really got it, if it had been the other way around… fuck, he wouldn’t have been able to take it. “I know I’m asking a lot of you, Ni, and I’m so sorry and I wish I could change it, but… I can’t. Please trust me.”

“I do trust you… but you can’t know what’s going to happen, it’s not up to you… “ And then there it was, the first tear dripping down Niall’s cheek and onto Liam’s thumb and the older boy didn’t know what else to say. It was his own fault, all of it, he was making Niall cry and making him feel this bad and there was nothing at all for him to do to change this situation. “Let me come with you.”

“Ni… you know I can’t do that. They can’t know about you, it’d be too dangerous.” Fuck, Liam’s throat was so tight now he could barely even talk, he made sure to pull Niall into a hug just so that the younger boy couldn’t see his face anymore. “I couldn’t concentrate with you there watching… “

“I could wait in the car.” Niall sniffed, hugging Liam so tightly as if his life actually depended on it.

“Somebody would see you, babe… it’s the safest option for you to just stay here, okay? Please. I know I’m an asshole for asking you to do this and I’m so sorry, but please stay here and I promise I’ll be back home as soon as I can. I only have to leave in like 4 hours and I know you’re tired and-“

“I’m not sleeping until you’re back.” Niall told him straight up and Liam suppressed a sigh. He had brought this upon himself, he had no right to tell Niall what he could or couldn’t do. 

“Okay… “ Liam agreed because he didn’t know what else to do, rubbing Niall’s back while holding him tightly against him, hating his life so much right now that he wanted to scream. “I can give you Zayn’s number if that’d make you feel a bit better, he’s gonna be there.”

“Nothing is gonna make me feel better… “ Niall mumbled into Liam’s skin and the older boy took it as a clue to shut his mouth then, instead just focusing on holding Niall as tightly as somehow possible, trying to think of the right words to say but they never came to him. 

They stayed like this in complete silence for minutes and eventually, Niall did pull back a little so they could look at each other. He was still crying at this point so Liam let him when he leaned forward to kiss him, even if he knew they should have talked about it instead. Niall also asked for Zayn’s number again, so Liam gave it to him, making sure to tell Zayn about it as well so that he knew. 

“Do you still wanna talk about what you wanted to say before?” Liam felt so fucking terrible when they had gone back to just lying in bed and he was trying so hard to make up for it, but he just didn’t know how. 

“Not really… “ The younger boy half whispered, his fingers curled tightly into Liam’s shirt, as if to show him just how much he wanted him to stay here. 

“Okay… we can talk anytime. About anything.” Just to make sure that he knew because he had sounded nervous before and Liam wasn’t sure how much worse this night could have actually gotten. But he was about to find out in a few hours sadly. “I’m sorry, I really am.”

“I know… ‘s not your fault.” Niall shrugged a bit, not moving a centimeter though and they fell into another silence filled with only cuddles and a few kisses but mostly with Liam feeling like absolute shit. 

This was not the first time he had wanted to quit all this, but it was the first time he wanted to do it for somebody else.

 

\-------------------

 

“I think I’m gonna go to bed in a bit… I’m about to pass out.” Louis yawned right into the phone, making Niall panic because fuck, he couldn’t be alone right now, even if he couldn’t tell Louis what was up, he couldn’t fucking sit in his room in complete quietness and just wait.

“You’re so boring, it’s a Friday.” Niall tried to joke around like he had been attempting to do for an hour now, pretty much right after Liam had left him in here, after apologizing another 20 times and kissing the younger boy until his lips had started aching. Liam had gone to fights before, but Niall had never had such a bad feeling about it like he did tonight. 

“Yeah, but it was kind of a long week… Harry’s been asleep since three hours already.” The thing was, Louis had of course asked where Liam was, so Niall had told him in the beginning he had gone out with some friends and that he had of course asked Niall to come but the younger boy hadn’t wanted to because it was somebody’s birthday who he didn’t know. And the story had actually gotten really complicated because Niall hadn’t thought it through and so Louis had just stopped asking, which was a good thing. “I know you’re just talking to me because you’re missing Liam, but ‘m sure he’ll be back soon.”

“Yeah… I guess. But, um, I don’t only talk to you when I miss Liam, we talk all the time. Like today.” Right, not the best thing to bring up right now. 

“You told me to shut up today at least 20 times.” True. “But I get it, I’m sorry about all those sex questions… although, I genuinely was just curious, I still am.”

“Just google it or watch some Youtube video.” Just like Niall planned on doing, but he kinda wanted to talk to Liam first and he had tried today before that phone call had happened and now he really didn’t know anymore whether he’d ever have the courage again. Not that it really mattered right now, everything Niall cared about at this second was Liam coming back home in one piece. 

“I might, actually. I’d be so scared if I were you.” Niall was, but not for that reason.

“Thanks for that, that’s making me feel really good about it, you know?” By now, Niall had already bitten his fingers bleeding and it only been an hour since Liam had left and usually he stayed away at least 3 and fuck, how would Niall survive that? And even if he came back tonight all healthy and happy, what about the next time?

“Sorry, that came out wrong, I just… I mean, thinking about it, it seems pretty inhumane somehow, like… like what’s the point?” What?

“What are we talking about right now?” Niall was genuinely so confused that he forgot to worry for about one second. 

“Knotting?” Oh. “I mean, what’s the point of it? If you’d wanna get pregnant you could just let some Alpha nut in you, there’s no point for it to like… swell and keep it all in. I mean, I could impregnate some girl as well without like, shoving a grapefruit inside her. Or whatever size it has.”

“Are you drunk?” Probably not but also, what the fuck? Was that genuinely what Louis thought about in everyday life?

“No? Do you never wonder about these things? It seems a bit unnecessary is all. This whole thing does though, so I don’t know.” Louis sounded quite tired, so maybe that was why he was starting with all these philosophical life questions, Niall did feel bad for keeping him from sleeping but it was whatever at this point. “Maybe it makes the sex better, but that wouldn’t be fair then.”

“You will never find out because I will never tell you.” Pretty sure that sleeping with Liam would be 100 times better than any other time Niall had had sex so there was also that. 

“Rude… “ Louis mumbled and Niall could hear him moving a bit in the background, as if he was trying to get more comfortable in bed which caused him to panic quite a bit. “How long does Liam usually stay out?”

“Umm… I don’t know, it depends.” Niall was so nervous talking about this, he was terrified about accidentally letting something slip and he was aware that Louis was probably already suspicious, but what else had Niall been supposed to tell him? “’m sure he’ll be back soon.”

“Does he ever drink when he goes out? Or does he not take the car?” Honestly, Niall kinda wished he wouldn’t take his car because what if something happened to him? He’d still insist on driving it back even with a broken hand probably just because he wouldn’t call Niall like he had weeks ago. 

“He doesn’t drink… unless he’s hosting the party. But barely anything.” Niall explained, panicking when he felt the conversation was about to die down so he quickly made sure to follow that up with something else. Yeah, he was being really desperate right now and Louis probably knew but he didn’t say anything. “Um, I got free tickets for the cinema again if you need any.”

So they talked for about another 20 minutes before Niall allowed Louis to go to sleep and almost immediately after he had hung up and been plunged into silence, Niall was panicking again. He tried to distract himself with his phone for a while, tried walking up and down in his room while listening to music and eventually, he even went over into Liam’s room to lie in his bed instead, but that only made things worse.

Niall was going to go insane, he was dying to know if Liam was alright and what was going on. He couldn’t text Liam because he knew he always left his phone in his car for these occasions, but Niall could have potentially texted Zayn even if he didn’t know if he would be fighting as well or what he was even doing there.

Niall tried to talk himself out of texting Zayn, told himself he just needed to wait another hour and then surely Liam would be done and come back home, but for some reason tonight Niall genuinely couldn’t take it anymore. He was back in his room, sitting on the floor as he texted Zayn, feeling like a right idiot immediately after pressing send. Now everyone would think he was a controlling and clingy type of boyfriend and maybe he was, but like, this was a bit of an extraordinary situation, right?

 

_To Zayn 01:56  
Hi, this is niall. im sorry if im bothering you or anything, im just really worried, is everything ok?_

 

He didn’t mention Liam’s name on purpose, just in case because he didn’t know who would read that message and he didn’t want anybody to connect the dots. Also, Niall didn’t think Zayn would ever answer if he was being honest, so he just sat there staring at his own wall, trying to keep it together and not cry.

When his phone lit up though, Niall almost let it drop in surprise.

 

_Zayn 02:01  
Hes still getting ready, but ill bring your boy back in one piece, no worries._

 

Well, that was both comforting but it also made Niall wanna cry because this meant Liam could get hurt literally any second from now on and it was killing him inside. He really wanted to text Zayn some more, but he couldn’t think of anything else to say so he just kept on sitting there, waiting for the time to pass by while feeling as if he was going to die. What if he had to endure this once a week now or even more often? How would Niall survive?

Zayn did text him again a whole while later, just to tell him that everything was still fine and Niall appreciated that more than the other boy would ever know. They hardly knew each other, but at least Niall knew that Zayn was also all for Liam somehow stopping the fights even if he was just as helpless as Niall and probably also not as worried. But if Niall could have been there… he might have felt better as well, if he could have seen with his own eyes that Liam was good at this and that he was doing well, it might have calmed him down. 

Another whole hour passed by since Niall had first texted Zayn and he had gone back to lying in bed watching videos on his phone when he almost dropped it into face as he got interrupted by somebody calling him. It wasn’t Liam like Niall had hoped, but it was rather Zayn instead, which obviously caused Niall to freak the fuck out immediately. 

“Hi, is everything okay?” Niall immediately blurted into the phone, having pushed himself into a sitting position, his heart beating faster than any time before. There were no background noises or anything, which already worried Niall, but not as much as what Zayn said.

“Can you wait outside your house? I’ll come pick you up in a few minutes.” Wait, what?

“Why? Where’s Liam? Oh my god, did anything h-“

“He’ll be fine, I promise, I’ll explain in the car, okay? Please don’t freak out.” Well, fuck, that was a hundred times easier said than done.

Needless to say, Niall was freaking out like crazy as he quickly put on sweatpants before walking downstairs through the quiet house, trying not to make any noises as he went to put on his shoes and take his keys, holding so tightly onto his phone that his knuckles were turning white. It was 3 in the morning, normally Liam would have already been back and… fuck, what was Niall supposed to do?!

Zayn had come in Liam’s car, but Liam was nowhere to be seen when Niall slipped into the passenger seat, trying to choke back his tears in favor of finding out where the fuck his boyfriend was and whether he was alright. Also, Niall was aware that he hardly knew Zayn, but he didn’t have a choice other than to trust him right now, did he?

“Where’s Liam? Is he okay? What happened?” Niall wasn’t holding back and Zayn had already started the car as soon as he had pulled the door closed pretty much. 

“Liam’s fine, I promise, just a few bruises, it’s gonna heal. But I told him I don’t think he should be driving tonight and he freaked out because of you so I said I’d come and get you and you can just both stay at my place. His phone’s somewhere in the back of the car or he would have told you himself, but he was still getting his hand fixed when I left. He’s probably waiting for us at my place.” Oh god, Niall was going to pass out. “Are you gonna cry?”

“I don’t know.” Niall told Zayn honestly, trying to process all this and resisting the urge to hit himself in the head. He was so worried about Liam but at the same time he was so pissed off now, at everything and everyone. “I told him not to go.”

“I’ve been telling him that for years.” Was all Zayn answered to that, sounding really calm, as if this was usual business. “It’s not as easy getting out of this as it sounds. I know he would quit for you in a heartbeat if he could.”

“He shouldn’t only quit for me, also for himself.” But he couldn’t and they all knew it though Niall still didn’t wanna believe it. He was close to crying again and he could barely stand just sitting here after hearing what had happened. “How far away do you live? And how is Liam gonna get there?”

“A few more minutes, we’re almost there. Another friend probably drove him, don’t worry about it.” Well, Niall was worrying about it all though.

“Why did nobody drive him to hospital if he got injured? Who took care of his hand?” All these things were making Niall wanna bawl his eyes out even if he knew well enough that there would have been no use, it had already happened, it was already too late and at least Liam hadn’t gotten injured even worse.

“We got someone there who takes care of injuries, it’d be too suspicious to always go to the hospital. But it will be fine, I promise, it wasn’t that bad or anything, I just didn’t want him to get into an accident or anything.” Thank god Zayn was apparently better at judging these kinda situations than Liam, but still bad enough that that was necessary.

Zayn lived in an apartment building and Niall almost about died walking up two flats of stairs, his anxiety high as ever when Zayn simply opened the door that Liam must have left unlocked for them. It was a small apartment so Niall’s eyes landed on Liam at an instant and he felt tears welling up in his eyes again just from looking at him, only briefly taking in his bandaged hand and his bloody clothes before he had already made the distance between them disappear and thrown his arms around his boyfriend’s neck.

“I’m so sorry, baby.” Liam told him, sounding desperate as he hugged Niall back, so tightly that the younger boy almost lost ground underneath his feet. Fuck, it felt so good to just hold him right now, alive and somewhat well. “Please don’t be mad at me, I’m so sorry, I didn’t want any of this to happen, I… I wanted to come straight back home, it’s not even that bad.”

“Bad enough that you couldn’t move it.” Zayn threw in from across the room and Niall held on tighter, a few tears having escaped him by now as he breathed Liam in, never wanting to let him go again. 

“It’s fine now though, I can move it.” Liam sounded slightly upset, probably because Zayn had said that in front of Niall but honestly, the younger boy didn’t even care anymore because all this was like living in a nightmare. “Thanks for picking Niall up.”

“Think I wanted to listen to you whining all night?” It was obviously a joke, but Liam still huffed against Niall’s skin as he pressed a kiss against his temple that Niall tried to remember for as long as somehow possible while still clinging to the older boy for his dear life. “I got your phone from the car and here are the keys, you know where everything is, right? I’m going to bed.”

“Yeah… thanks, Z.” Liam did sound thankful in that moment and Niall didn’t know why or how, but it seemed Zayn suddenly made a decision to piss Liam off one last time for the night because it immediately caused the older boy to freeze. The fact that Zayn was clearly doing it for Niall’s sake showed the youngest boy yet again that he wanted Liam out of this whole mess as well and that it really was as bad as he always feared.

“I didn’t plan on saying anything before tonight, but Liam, if you don’t finally tell Niall then I might. It’s not fair on him.” Wait… what?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys :D
> 
> it feels like forever since i updated this story, more than two weeks i think (or maybe not its late)! sorry i answered all the comments so damn late, i was doing interrail and im still tired from it even tho ive been home for 7 days already lmao
> 
> i hope you all enjoyed this chapter!!! i had a bit of trouble writing it because i took such a long break from it so it was hard getting back into it and i basically waited until yesterday to kinda write it all and i hope it turned out alright and that you guys are excited to know whats gonna happen next! i would love if youd wanna leave your thoughts or whatever else you wanna say, i promise this time i wont wait ages to answer!
> 
> <3


	13. Chapter 13

“I can’t believe you just said that.“ Liam meant it, he was so pissed off right now, he would have started a genuine fight with Zayn had tonight not happened and had his body not being aching and had he not just broken his promise to Niall about coming back home. Fuck.

“What’s going on?” Niall had pulled back, his face was red and wet with tears and Liam made sure to wipe them away with his thumbs, still holding the younger boy close. “Tell me what?”

“You gotta tell him at some point, we both know that and you’ve been keeping it for-“

“Can you just leave us alone?” Liam snapped at Zayn, who simply shrugged before walking down the hallway to his bathroom or whatever, Liam honestly didn’t care anymore. Tonight had been supposed to be so different and he hated how it had turned out.

“Liam?” The younger boy asked once more, probably hating Liam right now for everything he was putting him through and the thing was, it wasn’t going to get better after Liam had told him what was going on. 

“Let’s… let’s sit down, okay?” They were in Zayn’s living room and he had the smallest couch ever but it would be enough to sleep on, Liam had done it a couple of times before. Plus, he probably wouldn’t get any rest anyways, he was in pain and he was trying to hide it for his boyfriend’s sake. “C’mere.”

Liam made sure to make Niall sit down next to him on the couch, always keeping his hands on him because it didn’t seem as if the younger boy ever wanted to separate from him again anyways. He almost ended up on top of Liam when the older boy made sure to pull Niall’s legs over his lap so they could be as close as possible, his chest still feeling tight though as he looked Niall. 

“What’s actually going on, Li? And how is your hand?” Now that they weren’t hugging anymore, Niall had almost immediately reached out for Liam’s sore hand, not holding it too tightly or anything, just kinda inspecting it before touching a bruise on Liam’s face as well, gently, but it still made the older boy flinch on accident because he hadn’t known it was there. “Sorry… “

“It’s okay, I’m fine, my hand is… it’ll all be good tomorrow.” It wasn’t a real lie, was it? it WOULD be fine, eventually. “I’m so sorry, Ni, for taking so long and for not coming home like I said and-“

“I’m just glad you’re alright.” Niall interrupted and he seemed to mean it because his face was soft even though it still was worried as let his hand drop from Liam’s face, instead letting it rest on his arm where the bandage didn’t reach. “I was so scared… “

“I know… I’m sorry.” Liam apologized for the tenth time and probably not the last, he just hated all of this so much, more than ever. Never before had he ever been worried during a fight not for himself but because he knew somebody was home waiting up for him, someone who would be freaking the hell out if something happened to him. “But I didn’t get hurt badly or anything, and I won and it looks much worse than it is, I promise.” 

“You’ve got blood everywhere.” The younger boy noted and Liam knew that he was right, but he couldn’t do anything about it so he didn’t say anything, watching Niall’s eyes skimming over his face before he eventually let his head drop onto Liam’s shoulder and the older boy made sure to hold him, just waiting for the questions to start coming. And they did of course. “What was Zayn talking about?”

“There’s, uh… there’s something I need to tell you.” Liam was aware how bad this sounded and how nervous it was making Niall, so he decided to just get it over with as quickly as somehow possible, like ripping off a band aid. He hadn’t thought this through at all because he would have never expected Zayn to just say it like that in front of Niall, but he had and now here they were. “Last Monday, um… before you were awake, I got a text message from my boss and… Zayn and a few others got it as well. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before, I didn’t want you to worry because it’s still a while away and-“

“What did the message say?” Niall had a right to interrupt obviously, but it still caused Liam’s heartbeat to increase as he pressed his face into Niall’s hair, curling his fingers into the younger’s shirt sleeve as if that was somehow going to help.

“I, uh… he arranged for us to, like… go to the States, for like… a few days. A week.” Okay, saying it out loud was actually making Liam more nervous than he had already been before. Fuck, Niall was going to freak the hell out if he didn’t hurry. “But it’s not now, I would have told you otherwise, there’s still weeks until then and-“

“You’ll be gone for a whole _week_ on another continent fighting some strangers?!” Niall’s head had shot up, probably when it had sunk in and he seemed more shocked than angry, but Liam knew he must have been. Anyone would have been, if he imagined this the other way around… 

“I-“

“I won’t allow that.” The younger boy barely even let Liam say a single word, his voice sounding desperate as he dug his nails into Liam’s arm. “Liam, I’m being serious, this is… this is madness, you can’t do that. Please don’t do that, I don’t know how I’m gonna survive that, hell, I… I don’t even know how _you_ will survive that. What if something happens to you?! And don’t say it won’t because we’ve both just seen that that’s bullshit. He’s not sending you there to go on vacation and have fun, is he? He wouldn’t do it if he didn’t hope to get some serious money out of it and… Liam, please, _please_ , don’t go. Please.”

“Baby, I know I’m asking so much of y-“

“You _are_. Fuck, Liam, do you have any idea how scared I was tonight?! You can’t just go off for a whole entire week, we probably can’t even talk on the phone or people will start asking questions and then they will find out about me and… please don’t do this to me. _Please_.” He was literally begging right now and Liam saw the tears shimmering in his eyes and he had no idea what to say because he didn’t know what he had expected, but… not this. “There’s gotta be a way for you to get out of all this, somehow.”

“I… I don’t think there is, babe. I tried.” Liam told him kinda helplessly, not knowing what to say or do so he just pressed his lips against Niall’s forehead, keeping his arm tight around his shoulders, trying not to cry. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what to do.”

“Tell him you’re not going and you’re not doing this anymore and… and if he threatens you then we go to the police and-“

“We can’t go to the police, he’s got too many people who have his back and… and also, what I’ve been doing for him wasn’t exactly legal.” None of it, actually, pretty sure. Fuck.

Niall stayed quiet for a moment, they weren’t looking at each other but he also didn’t try to pull away so that was at least something. Not sure though if anything at all could have made Liam feel better at this point because he couldn’t even remember the last time he had felt so fucking terrible. 

“Did you sell drugs for him?” The younger boy just asked out of nowhere and almost immediately, Liam felt his heart literally dropping to his stomach. He should have known this would come up eventually, that Niall would start asking more detailed questions and demand answers and the thing was… Liam couldn’t deny them to him. He had sworn to himself he was done with all the fucking lies and the hiding. 

“I used to… but that was years ago. I… I did some fucked up things when I was younger, I used to smoke and drink a lot and I thought I was really cool and shit and… but I’m not like that anymore, I haven’t been for a while and I’m not doing any of that anymore, all that’s left is the fights. I promise, Niall, and I know I should have told you all that when you were first asking about it but I didn’t because it’s been so long and I’ve been trying to forget and I understand if you’re angry at me for keeping all this to myself… I’m so sorry. I know you have no reason to believe me now, but I _swear_ there is nothing else, there’s no more stupid secrets or… that’s all. I’m so sorry, you mean everything to me and if I could, I would quit all this immediately, I just… I don’t know how. I don’t know what to do.” He genuinely didn’t, Liam also didn’t even care who had told Niall about the drugs because it was out in the world now anyways and… Liam hated himself so fucking much. “I know I’m a terrible boyfriend, or a terrible friend in general and… I was painting you this picture of me being all healthy and happy and having my life together and I don’t know who I was trying to convince, maybe myself, but… I’ve been trying really hard to actually become that. But I can’t change what I did in my past and I hate myself for it, but… not as much as I do for not telling you the truth for so long.”

They still weren’t looking at each other after Liam was finally finished with his speech, he had just been rambling on but he had meant every single word. Also, he didn’t know what to expect and it was killing him to think that Niall was angry with him even if he had had every single right to of course and-

“I love you.” When Niall said it, he had pulled back so that they could finally look at each other again and Liam could feel his eyes widen and his heart warming a little at the same time. “I really do and you don’t have to say anything back or so. You’re not a terrible boyfriend, or a terrible friend or any of that. You’re wonderful and sweet and caring and I love you and I’m not angry at you in any way, all this stuff happened before I even knew you and you didn’t have to tell me any of it. I’m just worried about it because I don’t wanna lose you, I don’t want anybody to hurt you or for you to put yourself in danger because somebody is forcing you, I wish I could help you somehow and it’s killing me that I can’t… “

“I love you too, Nialler.” Liam made sure to tell him as soon as he was finished, seeing the red in the younger’s cheeks and it would have made him smile had things been different right now. “I should have told you all of it though, it wasn’t fair to keep it from you, especially that trip… I don’t know what to do about it and if there’s one thing I don’t wanna do it’s coming along to that without you and… I’ll try to think of something and see if there’s anything I can do, I… maybe Zayn has an idea or… or I could fake an illness, maybe… “

“I don’t want you to get in trouble though, I’m sorry for freaking out like that, I know you wouldn’t be doing these things if you didn’t have to… “ Niall truly sounded guilty now, which made Liam feel guilty in return because HE was the one who was the cause of all of this. “But Li… you can’t forever let him tell you what to do. You can’t just keep on doing this forever.”

“I know that… fuck.” Liam let out a breath, closing his eyes momentarily because he was painfully aware of all of that, of how dangerous it was and how stupid but he couldn’t get out, he didn’t know how. And most of the time he just tried to forget about it, tell himself it was just a job like any other, but… he couldn’t do that anymore with Niall in the picture. “It’s become less though… he has more people now and… maybe if I start losing more-“

“Please don’t. Losing means getting hurt, doesn’t it?” True. 

“Not necessarily, but… probably. But if it calms you maybe, um… no one I know who’s gotten injured during a fight has suffered any consequences from it, like, long term.” Okay, wow, Liam was a fucking idiot for thinking Niall would be happy to hear that, wasn’t he?

“Li… “ The younger boy started, waiting until Liam was looking at him again and he hesitated for a moment before reaching out to touch his face again, even more gently than the last time, probably so he wouldn’t hurt him anymore on accident. “Whenever I see just the tiniest scratch or bruise on you it’s making me wanna kill whoever put it there and I know it’s not your fault and I know you don’t know what to do, but I just really hate all of this so fucking much.” 

“Me too… “ Liam mumbled and for the first time it was him who had to look away kind of out of embarrassment because fuck, what was he doing to this boy? They had been together for a week and Liam had already dragged him into this whole mess even more deeply than he had ever planned on doing. If only things hadn’t gone like this tonight and if only he wouldn’t have to leave for a whole week… but who was he kidding, whenever Liam thought that maybe all of this wasn’t too bad, he was just lying to himself, playing pretend, and they all knew it’d only get worse. 

There was some silence for a moment before Niall suddenly leaned forward, pulling Liam’s face a bit closer to his so he could kiss his cheek and the fact that he still wanted to do those things almost made Liam wanna cry. “Does Zayn have a bathroom?”

“Uh, yeah, just down that hallway.” Liam motioned behind them, feeling his stomach tightening a little though when Niall unwrapped himself from around him to go to the bathroom, but the older boy still forced himself to get up as well, get a blanket and pillow for them so they could maybe try and sleep a bit. Or Niall at least.

There was nothing really to talk about anymore, there was nothing Liam could have done to make Niall feel less afraid or to get out of this situation and they both knew it. Knowing though that Liam was asking all this of Niall, putting so much on his shoulders, when they were only at the very beginning of their relationship, it did scare him to think about the future. He loved Niall, he did, and the younger boy seemed to feel the same, however, he probably wouldn’t put up with this forever and Liam couldn’t have asked him to either. It wasn’t fair and he knew if it had been the other way around… fuck, he would have lost his damn mind.

When Niall came back, Liam had already made sure to pull out Zayn’s couch though it didn’t really add a lot of space and was just scrolling through a few messages, his stomach turning on all the congratulations he had received and the notification that money had been transferred to his bank account. He made sure to lock his phone when Niall crawled on the couch next to him. 

“Lie down.” The younger boy told him and Liam was confused, but Niall’s voice was soft and he was holding a few tissues, or maybe toilet paper, that he must have held under the water in the bathroom. 

“You really don’t have t-“

“I want to though.” Niall told him, waiting for Liam to silently give in and lie down before moving so that he could reach Liam’s face more easily. This was the complete opposite of how Liam had hoped this night would go and though he hated all of this more than he could have ever put into words, having Niall softly wiping blood from his skin and taking care of him was still the best possible outcome of a situation like this. “Does it still hurt?”

“A bit.” Liam admitted because he didn’t wanna lie anymore and also, it probably looked like he was in pain anyways. His hand was actually kinda killing him and he wasn’t even bloody sure how he would drive them home tomorrow, but… Zayn was there, he could drive them and Liam would just pay a taxi for him to get back home or wherever.

“Maybe Zayn has some pain killers somewhere, I could ask.” The younger boy offered while still wiping something away from Liam’s face. 

“No, it’s okay, babe, thank you… “ Pain killers would have been nice indeed, but one, Liam really didn’t wanna talk to Zayn right now even though he was kinda relieved that he had finally told Niall and two, he was still trying to pretend it wasn’t actually THAT bad. 

“Okay… are you sure they knew what they were doing taking care of your hand?” Niall sounded very concerned once he had gotten rid of the now bloody tissues, instead just sitting next to Liam now and carefully lifting his injured hand into his lap while the older boy tried not to flinch. 

“Yeah, it was a doctor who did it, it’s gonna be fine… he does this stuff all the time.” Liam told the younger boy, making sure to add onto it when Niall threw a look at him. “Not on me, on other people, I mean.”

Niall didn’t answer, he just looked down on Liam’s hand once more, brushing his thumb against the older boy’s before very slowly moving to lie down next to him, squeezed between Liam and the couch and dragging the blanket with him to cover them both somehow. “What happened?”

“Um, you mean to my hand?” This was not something Liam would have ever wanted to talk to Niall about, but the younger boy deserved to know what was going on, so Liam didn’t really have a choice once Niall had nodded. “The other guy he, uh, he was on the floor and I… I hit the ground instead… instead of him, so… my knuckles were bleeding a bit, but… not bad.”

Niall didn’t reply anything immediately, so that already made Liam a bit nervous because he was aware of how this had just sounded, but like, it had been the truth and Niall had asked… “Are you sure you didn’t do anything else to it? I mean… if you were trying to hit this guy then you probably put some force into it. And Zayn said you couldn’t even move it anymore at first.”

“Yeah, but… I can move it again and it’s all good, if it still hurts in a few days I’m gonna get it checked out.” Probably not, but Liam was just trying to make Niall feel better and reassure him even though he wasn’t sure if he was doing a very good job at that. “I promise I’m gonna be okay.”

The younger boy didn’t answer, but he did snuggle closer into Liam, wrapping an arm around his stomach and Liam held him tight, letting his eyes fall close in an attempt to relax. At least finally they were able to cuddle again and try to go to sleep, something which Liam had been wanting to do since hours now, and preferably without being in any pain. 

They lied in silence for a while until Liam decided to stretch a bit so he could turn off the lights, plunging them into complete darkness because there were no windows in the living room, but Liam didn’t care because he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to fall asleep anyways with his whole body feeling sore like that. 

“What’re we gonna tell our parents if they ask?” Niall whispered when Liam had hoped he had already fallen asleep but was apparently still breaking his head over this whole thing much like the older boy. 

“Just that… that we went out with friends and I fell and… and we decided to crash at someone else’s place because it was late.” Kinda the truth but also not at all and Liam hated lying to his dad, but he was an adult and it’s not like they were really that close. They got along, yes, but they hardly ever talked about things, so Liam wasn’t all too worried because he was pretty sure his dad would immediately buy the story because he was convinced Liam had stopped doing these fights ages ago. And he had never known about the full dimensions of it either, only Niall did as the only outsider. “But you don’t have to say anything… I’ll take care of that.”

“Okay… “ Niall mumbled somewhere into Liam’s shirt, holding on a bit more tightly to him and Liam could feel where he breathed out because it gave him goosebumps to feel the younger’s hot breath. “I love you.”

He said it a bit out of nowhere, but it still made Liam smile, even if he felt really terrible and sad at the same time as he kissed the top of Niall’s head. “I love you, too.”

Liam didn’t expect Niall to give him a goodnight kiss now, but the younger boy still pushed himself into a sitting position so that he could kiss Liam, a bit longer than just a peck and really soft and sweet even if it was the very last thing that Liam deserved. Niall must have fallen asleep eventually because they never talked again after that and Liam was awake for probably more than half the night because he was busy worrying and trying to come up with a solution, but in the end he was just as stuck and clueless as he had been before. 

 

\-----------------------

 

Niall was aware that Liam felt terrible about what had happened and also guilty and that there truly was nothing at all any of them could have done, so he didn’t bring it back up again the next few days. He did keep on asking Liam about his hand though and whether it was getting better, but other than that, they didn’t really talk about the fighting anymore or the fact that Liam would have to go away for a whole week to do whatever. 

If only one good thing had come out of all of this, it was that Niall had for once grown some balls and told Liam that he loved him, which he would have NEVER been brave enough to do otherwise and now he got to do it all the time. 

There were no more phone calls from his boss the next few days and they did actually get to spend their nights together staying in and cuddling and kissing and it was the best thing in the entire world. Somehow though, Niall also didn’t get the courage again to talk about them having sex and like… discussing it or whatever and he really felt like they should have because he was so clueless since Liam was an Alpha and all, but… then again, it was obvious Liam wanted them to wait so that’s what they did, even if Niall felt more than ready and even if he was slightly afraid of his next heat. 

“… yeah? And what did you do after school today?” Liam was talking to his sisters on Facetime while Niall was struggling to finish his essay, not because he was being distracted by the conversation going on in the background but because he just sucked at writing essays. 

“We had to go to the store with mommy and it was really boring and I was tired and hungry, but look what she bought me.” One of his sisters answered, Niall wasn’t sure who because their voices sounded so similar through the phone even though Liam had them on speaker. 

“Mine is way better, look, Liam!” Now they were fighting in the background and Niall could hear Liam’s mother trying to get them to calm down as he threw a look back at his boyfriend half lying on his bed, smirking at him when Liam let out a sigh. 

Liam tried to get them to stop fighting as well and luckily it seemed to all be resolved rather quickly and Niall attempted to focus on his laptop once more. It was Thursday night and he had to hand it in tomorrow morning and print it as well and he really wasn’t sure right now if he would actually manage to do that on time. Liam had of course offered his help like he always did, but Niall genuinely felt like he probably needed to stop depending on his boyfriend so much and actually do his work. It was just so damn hard when there were so many other things going on and when it was so tempting to just snog Liam for a few hours rather than do uni assignments.

“Are you gonna come visit us again soon? With Niall?” Upon hearing his name, Niall felt himself flinch because just for once he had actually been caught up in some article, but he kinda spun around immediately in his chair, apparently just in time for Liam to flip around his phone so that he could see the screen.

“I don’t know yet, love, but look, Niall’s right here if you wanna say hi.” Niall made sure to wave when he saw the girls, apparently having propped the phone up somewhere on one of their desks so that they had their hands free. They seemed excited about seeing him, which kinda was a surprise to Niall because he had expected them to forget all about him again as soon as they had left almost two weeks ago now. 

He made sure to ask them some stuff before Liam turned the phone back around and Niall decided that his essay wasn’t going to get any better so he made sure to save it and close his laptop before making his way over to the bed. They were in his room because Niall had been working on his essay while Liam had been in the gym and the older boy had come straight in here after showering and they basically hadn’t left their positions ever since, except for when Liam had come over to kiss him hello.

The older boy immediately made space for Niall to lie down next to him, not too close though because their families still didn’t know that they were together. Honestly, Niall had started to forget about the fact that they hadn’t told their parents yet, it’s just… it was way too easy to hide it at home and it almost seemed as if nobody ever got suspicious about how much time they actually spent together, alone, behind a closed door. 

“Isn’t it way past your bedtime already?” Liam asked at some point after they had tried showing him their homework, pretty much fighting for his attention ever since he had called his mother before. It was really cute, how much they had to tell him and how much they just wanted to talk to him and Niall felt really bad again thinking about how little they got to see him in real life. 

“It’s past Nici’s bedtime but mom always lets her stay up longer and when I ask she always says no, it’s not fair.” Ruth explained while her little sister was just sitting next to her shrugging, trying to take up more of the frame but they were too far away from the phone so it really made no difference. “When I was 5 I had to go to bed way earlier.”

“I’m 5 and a half.” Nicola threw in, but she made sure to count it on her fingers afterwards and Niall found himself smiling. “Niall, are you gonna come to my birthday party as well?”

“I’d love to.” He really did, but he also hoped that they didn’t have to wait another half a year to see their brother again. 

“And to mine?” Ruth asked and Niall had no idea when their birthdays where or how any of that would go down but he made sure to tell her that he would come to both of their parties while Liam was just laughing. 

They talked for a bit longer, about some girl that went to their school and that they both disliked apparently, but at some point Liam’s mother came into the room, seemingly appalled that they still hadn’t changed into their pajamas yet and forcing them to say goodbye to Niall and Liam before taking over. 

“You should have told them to get off the phone, Liam, it’s almost 8.” She sounded really stressed out, but she didn’t turn off the camera and Niall kinda wanted to move off of the bed, give them their privacy, but Liam grabbed a hold of his arm to keep him where he was, out of frame of course. 

“I didn’t know when they had to go to bed.” Liam shrugged and Niall felt a bit weird just half lying next to him so he started playing on his own phone instead, answer some very weird text message from Harry asking if he had included the most complicated shit ever into his essay. Did he not know Niall at all even after all this time? 

“I told you before I gave them the phone.” His mother shook her head at him, but she didn’t seem too upset when she sat down on the couch in the living room, which Niall only saw briefly because he was kinda trying not to take too much part in this conversation, which was hard with Liam keeping him in frame. “How are you both doing? Everything okay at uni?”

“Yeah, it’s just getting stressful now, but we’re doing fine.” Liam answered for both of them and Niall made sure to agree so he wouldn’t come off as rude. 

“You got any photoshoots anytime soon?” Right, he hadn’t had any in a while and actually, Niall was kinda sure he had had to cancel one because of his hand and the bruise on his face that had turned out bigger than expected the next day. It was all getting better now and though Liam’s dad had asked about it, he had believed Liam just like that when he had told him it had been an accident at the gym while Niall had just been standing there, dying inside. 

“Not really, I’m trying to focus on uni right now, but I got a few scheduled in a few weeks.” There were also other things happening in a few weeks, but Niall didn’t wanna think about it. He still didn’t know when exactly Liam would have to leave and whether he would really do it or if he could find a way out, but they weren’t really talking about it so Niall tried to ignore it for now. “Did dad tell you about the wedding yet?”

“Yes, he called a few days ago and mentioned it. I’m not sure yet if it will be a good idea to bring the girls but they would be so disappointed if I told them we’ll stay home.” She sighed and honestly, Niall hadn’t even thought about the fact that Liam’s parents still talked to one another, let alone go to each others’ weddings’, but it seemed he had been wrong. 

“Niall and I can help look after them, we don’t wanna have any part in the reception anyways.” Liam said it with a smirk because he knew just how terrified Niall was about having to do something. The past few days, their parents had thrown around a whole lot of ideas, one crazier than the other even though they had literally just gotten engaged. Judging by their enthusiasm though, they were probably gonna move the date up even closer. 

“You know there’s no way around it, Liam, you know your father.” Shit. “But something completely different… you’re aware that he thinks the two of you are getting along like real brothers, right?”

“Um… kinda?” Liam asked, carefully, and at first Niall had no idea what his mother was talking about or he would have already freaked out then and there. “What do you mean? I mean… is that bad?”

“Depends if you already broke up again.” Oh god no. 

“Ummm… “ Liam clearly didn’t know what to say and Niall would have thought Liam had gone behind his back telling his mother about their relationship without telling him, but he knew Liam and he knew he wouldn’t have done that. Also, he seemed just as surprised as the younger boy. How?!

“You are together, right? You really thought I didn’t notice when you came over for dinner that night?” Oh. 

“I mean, yeah, uh, we, uh, we just didn’t… sorry I didn’t tell you, um, it’s still… new.” Liam concluded, clearly at a loss of words as he threw an apologetic glance at Niall but it’s not like they could have denied it now and there would have been no point either because clearly his mother didn’t mind at all. 

“It’s fine, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but I think you should maybe tell your father. And your mother, Niall. I’m surprised they haven’t already figured it out if you’re hiding it as poorly as you did at my house.” Had they really though? Niall couldn’t even remember now, all he knew was that his face must have been ridiculously red right now. 

“We will tell them, we were going to and then they told us about the wedding and it started to become kinda weird and we never really had the chance to anymore since then.” To be fair, that wasn’t a lie or a cheap excuse, it was difficult to find the time to have all 4 of them together in one room for longer than a few minutes and they weren’t trying to change that because Niall was a coward. 

“How? You live in the same house, Liam. Please don’t tell me you’ve gone back to not speaking to your father any more often than once a day again.” This surprised Niall because he hadn’t known it was an issue or anything and Liam never talked about it either somehow. 

“I mean, we’re both busy, he even more now and it’s fine, we do talk, just not a lot.” Liam seemed unbothered talking about this in front of Niall and though the younger boy made a mental note to keep that in mind and ask about later, he was slightly more worried about other things right now. “We just didn’t find the right time to tell them yet and we don’t wanna just blurt out with it randomly.”

“I understand that, but you’re both adults and I feel like this is a bit more serious than your old relationships, and especially with this wedding and everything, I think you should tell them as soon as possible.” She was right, sadly, even if Niall really wanted her to be wrong. “You know they won’t judge you. I mean, I don’t know your mother, Niall, but I can hardly imagine she would have anything against it. And if anything most parents would be relieved.”

“Because I’m an Omega and Liam’s an Alpha?” It was the first time Niall spoke up and he had to clear his throat a little, this whole thing still not having sunk in yet. Literally, he was the worst son ever for still not having told his mother and he wasn’t even sure why he was keeping quiet about it. 

“Yes, I mean, a lot of people believe in those soulmate stories, so… obviously I’d be really happy for the both of you and I’m sure so would everyone else.” Liam’s mother did sound like she was actually happy about this whole outcome even though she seemed to have known for almost two weeks now and never said a word about it to her son. “But it’s your decision in the end, I just want you to know that you have my full support and I would have said something sooner but I was kinda waiting for you to tell me yourself, Li.”

“Yeah, um… sorry about that. But thank you, mom. We’re gonna tell everyone else eventually, we just need to talk about it I think.” Well, Liam would have been ready to tell them literally right after it had happened, but he didn’t blame it on Niall now which the younger boy really appreciated. Not that he would have ever thought Liam would do something like this. 

“Alright, well, I’m really tired, I’m probably going to be asleep before the girls. I’ll talk to you soon, Li, don’ forget to call back again. And Niall, if you get sick of him sometimes, just know you’re not the only one.” It was clearly a joke and Niall laughed with her while Liam pretended to be pissed before they all said their goodbyes and goodnights and Niall didn’t really know how to feel afterwards.

“Were we really that obvious at her house?” Niall had sat up, turning his head a bit awkwardly so he could look down at Liam, the older’s hand moving unevenly across his back, playing with his shirt. 

“I don’t think we were, we did hold hands for a moment I think, or maybe she looked out of the window when we left and walked to the car or something. Does it bother you that she found out this way?” Liam sounded a little concerned, but Niall was actually really calm right now as he just shrugged.

“No, I don’t know. I think I prefer it that way, maybe I’ll just write my mom a text message or something.” Niall joked, softly pushing Liam’s side when the older boy pulled a face as if he actually thought Niall would do that. “I won’t. We should tell them.”

“Now?” Okay, maybe a little too fast. “I think they’re both downstairs actually.” 

“Ummm… but what would we say?” Niall’s heart was already back at beating way WAY too fast as Liam sat up as well, moving his arm around the younger’s shoulders instead so he could squeeze him a bit, kissing his temple.

“That we’re together? I can do all the talking if you want, love, you just have to stand there.” Bad enough. “We can also wait.”

“I don’t know if waiting is that good of an idea, the longer we wait the less I wanna actually tell them… maybe we should just snog in front of them.” That would have of course required for Niall to actually grow some balls, which he never would.

“We could also just tell them, Nialler.” Liam was shaking his head at the younger boy, but in a really fond way that made Niall wanna groan, but instead he just let his forehead drop against Liam’s shoulder, getting goosebumps all down his spine when Liam breathed against his scalp after kissing his head. “C’mon, let’s get it over with, yeah? It’ll be done in ten minutes.”

“Fine.” Niall mumbled after a while and he truly did not know how they had gotten into this situation when just 15 minutes ago he wouldn’t have even thought about doing this tonight in his wildest dreams. Or nightmares, more like.

He took both of Liam’s outstretched hands after the older boy had gotten off of the bed, easily pulling Niall up as well and to his feet, kissing him on the mouth when Niall least expected it. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Niall answered immediately though he could feel heat rushing to his face. No matter how many times they said those words, they never failed to turn Niall into an absolute mess. “Um… can you maybe read over my assignment afterwards?”

“Sure, babe. But let’s do this first before I gotta beg you for it again.” Sounded reasonable.

Niall was pretty sure he had rarely felt as nervous as he did walking down those stairs, holding Liam’s hand up until the point where somebody could have seen and he didn’t really know if he should have counted himself lucky that both their parents were indeed at home. Telling them separately would have been worse but then Niall could have maybe convinced Liam to wait a bit longer, even if there was literally no point at all. 

“Hi, boys, everything okay? I haven’t seen you two all day.” Niall’s mother commented as she looked up from cutting some fruit, Liam’s father sitting one of the kitchen bar stools doing something on his iPad and Niall wanted to die. A casual Thursday night. 

“Yeah, we’re good, I’m just really thirsty.” Niall blurted out with it just because and he could see Liam rolling his eyes at him from the side but decided to ignore it as he walked over to the fridge to get some juice. There were literally so many things that could go wrong, what the hell had they been thinking?!

“Actually, me and Niall wanted to tell you guys something.” Liam started while Niall was pouring orange juice into a glass with a shaky hand, almost spilling it all over the counter and he truly did not know what the fuck was wrong with him, but he kinda got the urge to make up another lie.

“Oh?” Niall’s mother asked and surely Liam’s dad was paying attention now as well, Niall didn’t know because he was trying very hard not to look at either of them when he yet again tried to destroy Liam’s plan.

“Yeah, we were thinking about-“

“We’re dating.” Liam just said it, interrupting Niall’s lie that he hadn’t even fully planned out and promptly, Niall spilled orange juice all over the counter and the floor.

“Fuck.” It just escaped Niall like that, his face was surely red as hell and he didn’t know where to look anymore or whether he should have just started cleaning up this mess and pretended nothing was even up or… or who even fucking knew what was going on. 

“Wait… you are? You’re together?” Niall’s mother seemed to actually think it was a joke or something and Niall threw a panicked look at Liam, who inconveniently was standing way too far away from him right now. 

“Yes, we’ve been meaning to tell you for a few days but it never seemed to be the right time.” Liam explained, all calmly and stuff as usual and while walking over to Niall with a kitchen towel to help him clean up. He truly was Niall’s hero right now. 

“Since when?” Liam’s father asked and Niall would have looked at him but he was too nervous, so he was just looking at Liam instead, watching him clean up the mess he had made. As usual, but this time literally. 

“Two weeks. Sorry we didn’t tell you immediately, we wanted to tell you the night you told us about your engagement but then you seemed kinda excited about us being, like… real step brothers, so we decided to wait.” Liam shrugged, as if it was no big deal and Niall didn’t know what he had expected, but it surely wasn’t his mother all of a sudden coming over to hug him. Well, at least she clearly wasn’t mad about this outcome. 

“Oh, I’m so happy for you boys, that’s wonderful. I mean, I’m a bit disappointed you waited so long to tell us, but… I’m sorry I was talking about you being step brothers, I mean, you will be of course, but it’s not like it matters. I’m really happy for you… we definitely have to rethink their roles in the wedding now, Geoff.” Ummm, no?

“What roles?” Niall’s voice was a bit too high as he asked, searching for Liam’s eyes once his mother had finally let go of him again, not sure whether he was already allowed to be relieved or not. “I, uh… I’m not a good public speaker. At all. I really suck, actually, I would ruin the whole wedding, seriously. No one would remember anything except how bad I was.”

“I don’t believe that for a second.” Liam’s dad had gotten up now as well and he was smiling and in general, everyone seemed to be really happy and Niall felt like a right idiot for ever being afraid about this. “We do have to rethink the sleeping arrangements now though.”

“Oh, that is true.” What was going on?

“What sleeping arrangements?” Liam seemed equally confused as Niall so that was a good thing, he had slightly lifted his arm and the younger boy was more than relieved to slip underneath and feel the older’s arm around him even if it made his mother smile a bit too much. 

“We weren’t going to tell you yet, but we already found the perfect location for the wedding and we were thinking about taking a trip there to meet with the owners and everything and we want you two to come along.” Right, this was even more unexpected news and Niall didn’t know why, but literally the first thing he thought of was what if this trip would clash with the one Liam would have to take soon? He didn’t really get the chance to dwell on that too long though because his mother seemed to have other concerns. “Niall, you need to tell me exactly when you’re going into heat.”

“Umm… why?” What the hell?!

“Obviously we’re not going to be able to go on those days and I also don’t want you to not be able to attend the wedding. I know your cycle is probably not that exact yet but-“

“Okay, okay, I’ll tell you, uh… tomorrow or so.” Fuck, Niall had never been this blushed in his entire life, he KNEW Liam was grinning next to him, squeezing him a bit too hard but the younger boy didn’t care right now, he was a lot more busy not dying of embarrassment. “So… where are you getting married?”

“It’s a surprise, but you’ll love it.” Hopefully a yacht, Niall wouldn’t have been too opposed on that but he didn’t keep on asking because his mother seemed so excited about it. “Oh, I can’t believe you two are together, but it fits perfectly the longer I look at you. Right, Geoff?”

“I think so too, I’m actually not that surprised at all.” How though, when they never really saw each other? Niall didn’t ask that of course though, he just stayed quiet and tried to smile while he focused on Liam rubbing his shoulder instead. “Have you already told your mother, Liam?”

“Not really, uh, she kinda… figured it out herself.” Liam said it carefully, as if he wasn’t sure whether it’d be a good idea or not, but his dad just nodded so Niall assumed it didn’t matter. It did remind him though of what Liam’s mother had said before, about Liam going back to only speaking to his dad once a day. “So… you wanna keep us in separate rooms now or something?”

“Oh, no, that’s not what we meant, actually, I was just thinking it’d be stupid to keep you in separate rooms now when we go visit there. I mean, now that I think about all of this, you two did spend an awful lot of nights in the same room already.” Liam’s father sounded thoughtful, as if he genuinely only realized this now while Niall’s mother rolled her eyes, as if she hadn’t just been equally as surprised as him.

“I told you they were sleeping in the same room.” Well, to be fair, they also hadn’t been trying to hide it, ever. “I know you’re both adults obviously, but Niall, maybe we could still talk about it alone sometime?”

“Um, okay, uh, if you want to.” Fuck, she didn’t wanna have THE talk with him, did she?! If she did, it’d be even worse that he hadn’t talked about it with Liam yet.

“Doesn’t have to be now or anything, just when you have time, okay?” She smiled when Niall nodded, way too thrilled about all of this and Niall had no idea how he was supposed to feel about all this. Obviously it was a good thing that their parents were all being so supportive because who was that lucky right? Niall felt really greedy and unthankful now for still feeling weird in this whole situation.

Liam must have noticed, because he did make sure to tell their parents they were tired after they had had some more smalltalk for a few more minutes and Niall could have SWORN he felt his mother’s eyes in his back following him all the way to the stairs. The older boy seemed to really get a high out of embarrassing Niall, because he had simply taken his hand for both their parents to see and obviously Niall couldn’t have rejected him and he also didn’t want to, but it was making him feel slightly nervous. 

“Wasn’t too bad, was it?” Liam asked once they were back in Niall’s room and the younger boy almost immediately let himself fall onto his bed, face forward, needing a moment to himself. “Want me to read over your essay now?”

“If you have time.” Niall mumbled into his pillow, shivering a bit when he unexpectedly felt Liam’s hand ruffling his hair from somewhere behind. “You know the password, right?”

“’course I do.” Not sure when Niall had told him, or if he ever had, but thinking about it, he knew all of Liam’s passwords as well. “Don’t worry about having to talk at their wedding or anything, I’ll tell my dad we’re not gonna do that. Or maybe I will, but I promise you don’t have to, okay?”

“Okay… thank you. Um… will you, like… will you come along on that trip? To their wedding location, I mean? Or are you… busy?” Just because talking as well as breathing was kinda getting hard by now, Niall had turned back onto his back, kinda nervously picking on his fingers as he waited for Liam’s answer. 

“They would rearrange it if I didn’t have time, so...yes, I will, of course, babe.” He sounded a little guilty answering, apparently knowing exactly what Niall meant without the younger boy having said a word about it. 

For a moment, Niall felt like they should have talked about this again, but he also knew that there was no point in doing so. Obviously Liam hadn’t found a solution to it and he also seemed to still be pissed at Zayn for having mentioned it in front of Niall because the past few days Liam had spent a lot of time at uni actually sitting with Niall, Harry and Louis instead, getting slightly reckless. Not that Niall would complain, but he also felt bad because… Zayn had done this for Niall, he wanted Liam out of this whole mess as well, but neither of them could have done anything to help him. 

“Can I correct something?” Liam asked after having read Niall’s essay for a couple minutes and the younger boy agreed immediately of course, only slightly concerned when he heard Liam typing for a kinda long time. “Okay, I think it’s really good, I don’t know why you’re always so worried. You’re not even half as bad at this as you say you are.”

“I always only get D’s.” Niall told him, but he got up off the bed, walking over to his desk where Liam was sitting on his chair, kinda automatically sitting on the older’s lap when Liam reached out for him, wrapping his arms around Niall’s stomach. Niall didn’t think he had ever sat on Liam’s lap before, and surely never like this, not with Liam holding him so tightly, his lips pressed against the younger’s shoulder. 

“Then the professor is an idiot.” Liam told him, his breath feeling hot even through Niall’s shirt and now there was no way anymore Niall would be able to focus on reading what Liam had corrected in his essay. “You can of course change it all back, it was just a suggestion.”

“I’m gonna leave it in, you’re so much better at this.” It was true, Niall wasn’t only saying this because he was biased as hell and in love with this boy. “I’ll send it to your printer, okay?”

“Okay.” Honestly, the amount of shit Niall had been printing on Liam’s printer since he had moved in here was ridiculous, the older boy should have actually charged him ink for that, which he would have never done of course, but Niall made sure to keep it in mind. 

“Thank you for helping me.” After turning off his laptop, Niall decided he didn’t wanna get up yet, so he remained on Liam’s lap, turning his head a bit awkwardly so that they could kiss. 

“You’re welcome, love, you know I’ll always help you, I would have also helped you looking for articles.” Actually he had, he had even sent Niall one, but the younger boy had refused to use it like a baby.

“But I gotta be able to do it on my own.” Niall mumbled against Liam’s lips, kissing him again afterwards, which turned out to be a real fucking mistake.

They couldn’t have even reacted as fast as Niall’s mother had already knocked briefly and opened the door, catching them completely off guard and Niall wanted to die. He would have jumped up immediately had Liam not been holding him so tightly on his lap, clearly amused about this.

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t wanna interrupt.” But the grin on her face was clearly saying that she also didn’t care that she had. “I just thought I’d bring you up some fruits if you want some.”

“Sure, thanks, mom.” Niall tried to tell her with his eyes to go away, but she of course ignored him completely, carrying the bowl all the way to Niall’s desk. His face was literally on fucking fire right now. 

Liam thanked her as well, not allowing Niall to move whatsoever and immediately starting to laugh once they were alone again, trying to quiet himself down by pressing his face against Niall’s shoulder and the younger boy just rolled his eyes to himself.

“It’s not fucking funny, Liam. She did this on purpose, I know she did. You know how she wants to talk to me alone? I bet she’s gonna tell me to use protection or something.” Niall shook his head in disbelief, still putting a few grapes in his mouth though because they were already here after all.

“I don’t think she’s gonna tell you that, Ni, the pill you’re taking is all the protection we can use anyways.” Wait… 

“What do you mean?” Okay, this was not helping in making Niall less embarrassed.

He kinda sat sideways on Liam’s lap now so that they could look at each other even if it made his cheeks even redder than they had already been. “We can’t use condoms.”

“Ummm… why?” Not that Niall thought they would have needed to, but he also didn’t really know what Liam was talking about, which he probably should have, but somehow he wasn’t really catching on. 

Liam actually waited a moment before answering, clearly stunned that Niall had just asked this question and surely, Louis would have been laughing his fucking head off right now had he known about this conversation. “Because of my kno-“

“Oh, okay.” Niall interrupted before Liam had even finished, very much to the amusement of the older boy of course.

“You still don’t want me to say that word, do you?” He laughed, kissing Niall’s cheek, which only made him feel even more like an immature idiot.

“I don’t mind you saying it.” Most of the time at least… “I just, uh… you know, I, like… I was talking about it with Louis- I mean, not _your_ … just in general. And I’ve never really known anybody who… has been knotted and I… I thought maybe… maybe we should talk about that.”

“Okay, what do you wanna talk about?” At least Liam wasn’t amused anymore now, he had become serious all of a sudden, which Niall really appreciated. He had moved his arms around Liam’s neck, nervously playing with the hair in the back of his neck, not really looking at him. 

“Just, uh… it won’t like, hurt, right?” Liam had done this with other Omegas, so he had to know, right?

“No, it won’t. Your body is made for it, Nialler.” Right. “But if we do have sex and you feel uncomfortable we can stop at any point, you just gotta say one word and I’ll stop.”

“I know, I just… I was just thinking about it and stuff… ‘s actually what I wanted to talk to you about a while ago when… when you got that phone call.” It seemed to take a moment for Liam to remember that, but he frowned a little once he realized, which Niall didn’t like at all. “I just… you know I don’t have any experience with this kinda stuff, right? I’ve never been with an Alpha before and… if I do anything wrong-“

“Ni, you can’t do anything wrong, okay? And I know you’ve never been with an Alpha and it doesn’t matter just one bit, yeah? I promise. You don’t have to be nervous about it and we can wait for as long as you want, it doesn’t matter.” Well, about that…

“I, uh… it’s not that I so desperately wanna wait, you know… “ Niall started, trying to make it sound all innocent, but it made Liam smirk anyways as he leaned forward to kiss Niall’s cheek a few times. 

“Oh, I know, love.” But then Liam didn’t continue and Niall knew right now was not the time to fall into bed and beg Liam for sex, but he was still kinda thinking about it when the older boy moved them around a little so he could reach his phone in his pocket, keeping Niall on his lap though. “It seems we gotta wait at least one more night though.”

“Why?” Oh god, another fight?! And also, wait, Liam suddenly didn’t want them to wait anymore either?

Liam wordlessly showed Niall the screen of his phone and the younger boy honestly didn’t know whether he should have been relieved or not, momentarily even forgetting about their conversation. “Ummm… why is Louis texting you? Why does he even have your number?”

“I gave it to him the other day at uni, remember? Because he said he needed it in case of an emergency.” Right, Niall did remember that, sadly. It was so fucking typical. “I guess this is one in his mind. So, do you wanna go to the cinema with them and pretend we believe that he bought 4 tickets on complete accident?”

“I don’t know if we have a choice.” Niall rolled his eyes, not too unhappy about going to the cinema and Liam also seemed up for it, but he was definitely going to have a serious word with Louis about what would be classified as a fucking emergency. And speaking about having serious conversations, at least now Niall felt slightly better equipped having a talk with his mother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys :D
> 
> thank you for all the lovely comments on the last chapter <3 i hope you liked this one too, there is no cliffhanger i thought id be nice today haha!
> 
> let me know what you think & have a great week!!


	14. Chapter 14

“Are you going on a date?“ Niall’s mother had been pretending to be re-arranging her shoes for way too long by now, but she still wouldn’t give up even after Niall had thrown multiple looks at her, trying to silently tell or to leave them alone. 

“N-“

“Yes.” Liam answered faster than Niall, shrugging when the younger boy glared at him, shaking his head a bit, a smirk tucking on his lips. “But Harry and Louis are coming as well, Louis is kinda forcing us to come along with them.”

“Where are you going?” God, could this get ANY worse?!

“The cinema.” Niall told her before checking his phone again, a bit impatiently because even though he wasn’t even sure if he really wanted to hang out with Harry and Louis right now, he also really wanted time to pass by faster so it’d be time for them to leave. Then again, fuck this. “I think we should leave, we might be late otherwise, I don’t wanna miss the film.”

“Alright.” Liam just laughed, slipping his shoes on, which Niall had already done minutes ago, avoiding his mother’s stare as best as possible even though he could still feel her eyes and her smile on him. They shouldn’t have told her, this had been the worst fucking idea ever. 

“Well, have fun then, yeah? And tell Louis I said hi.” The only thing Niall was waiting for now was his mother telling them to not be out for too long because it was a week day, but luckily she didn’t say anything else, she was just smiling too brightly right before they left after telling her goodnight and Niall purposely did not reach out for Liam’s hand as they were walking to the car.

“Don’t look behind you, I bet she’s still watching us from the window.” He was talking quietly, just in case, but Liam wasn’t holding back as he laughed of course, simply wrapping his arm around Niall’s shoulders and pulling him close. Great. 

“So what if she is? Aren’t you glad she’s that happy for us?” Yeah, Niall was ungrateful, but that had already been established by now, right?

“Yeah, but I just knew she’d be all in our faces about it and it’s even worse than I thought.” She had already walked in on them after not even knowing for more than a few minutes. “Bet she’ll be waking us up every morning now and pretend she had to search for something in my room or so.”

“Then we just sleep in mine.” Liam shrugged, briefly kissing the side of Niall’s head once they had reached his car before letting go of him so he could walk around to the driver’s side. “You know we’re gonna be way too early now, right?”

“I don’t care, we can just sit in the car or something. Why the hell would Louis even think about going to the cinema on a Thursday at fucking 10 at night?” Well… maybe that wasn’t worth a question after all, Niall was just kinda bothered by everything tonight.

“You know why. If he didn’t ask so spontaneously we would have said no.” True. “Or _you_ would have said no.”

“Hey, don’t make it sound like I’m keeping you from having more double dates with Harry and Louis.” Niall huffed when Liam just laughed next to him, waiting for him to put on his seatbelt before starting the car. 

“This is our first double date with them.” Liam pointed out and he was right of course, but… 

“The first of many. We gave in once, now Louis knows what he has to do to make us weak and get us to say yes. I’m betting you everything I own he’s gonna be asking at _least_ once a week now.” Maybe slightly dramatic, but Niall just kinda felt that way right now and at least it was amusing to Liam for some reason, so there was something good about it. 

“Maybe he really did buy 4 tickets on accident and doesn’t even want us to come.” The older boy tried, quickly taking it back though when he threw a look at Niall’s face for just a second. “Okay, probably not. But hey, no need to be so grumpy, Nialler, nothing bad even happened. We finally told our parents, they’re thrilled about it, you finished your essay AND we get to watch a free film because Louis is that desperate to get us to come along.”

“I’m not grumpy.” Niall mumbled, looking out of the window but still letting himself be calmed down immediately when he felt Liam’s hand on his upper thigh. “Did you ask him which film it is?”

“No, I didn’t, actually. Do you want me to? Or you could as well.” Liam’s thumb rubbing circles into Niall’s leg while he was driving was in fact so distracting that the younger boy very quickly made sure to intertwine their fingers instead, covering Liam’s hand with both of his. 

“No, I’m not gonna ask him now, he didn’t even text me anything, he only texted you.” And yes, Niall was still upset about that. 

“He knows I was more likely to say yes.” And he had been very right. “Are you mad that I gave him my number?”

“No, you had no choice and also, it sounded kinda like a good idea at first, I mean, if there WAS an emergency it’d really suck if you guys didn’t have each other’s numbers, but like… I should have known.” Not like Niall could have prevented it from happening though, so whatever really. “I’m just annoyed he’s using it to text you about double dates.”

“Why do you not wanna go on double dates though?” For about 873829 reasons.

“Louis will just try to embarrass me the whole time, I know him too well. And I know he’s not doing it to be mean really, it’s just him. And he also wants to talk about the weirdest topics, like, I wouldn’t be surprised if he just straight up asked you what it’s like to knot someone.” Oh god, actually, that was a lot more likely than Niall had realized before, shit.

“I’m so proud of you for using that weird without flinching.” Liam told him, making Niall roll his eyes while his cheeks got a bit hot, but he still squeezed the older’s hand back. “He can ask me whatever he wants, I don’t care, really. And if he tries to embarrass you I’m on your side, babe, you know that. If I tell him to shut up, I’m fairly certain he will.”

“Probably… a while ago they both said they get intimidated by you. I don’t know why though.” Or maybe Niall did, but he just knew Liam too well to see him as anything as the sweetest and most caring person he knew. 

“Should I ask? That’d be fun.” The older boy smirked, but he just shrugged when Niall told him no even though he kinda wondered what they’d say and maybe it would have been worth getting Louis embarrassed for once, give him a taste of his own medicine.

The cinema wasn’t very far away from their house and it was already night, so they were there even sooner than anticipated, which Niall didn’t mind in any way though. They should have stayed up in his room and waited there, but Louis had told Liam the wrong time and only corrected himself when they had already been downstairs talking to Niall’s mother. 

Niall had tried using the chance to get her to tell them where the wedding would take place, but she hadn’t even given them a single hint, as if it was that big of a secret or something. It was still crazy to Niall how fast their parents were moving even though of course they had been together for over a year now and who knew what would happen between Niall and Liam in a year, Niall would have already said yes had Liam asked to bond with him right now. Maybe that was stupid, to already be so fucking in love with him, but Niall couldn’t exactly control his feelings, could he? 

“You wanna wait inside or in the car?” Liam asked after he had found a parking spot, pretty much right next to the entrance because nobody else wanted to be here at this time and day anyways.

“Let’s wait in here… but can you lock the car though?” Niall wasn’t too sure about this area and though he knew Liam wouldn’t agree with him being scared, he did the younger boy the favor, leaving his other hand in between the younger boy’s still. “You know what I just thought of? We’ve only ever been on one date before and that was in this cinema as well.”

“What’re you talking about? We’ve been on tons of dates.” Liam seemed confused about this, but so was Niall, because he wasn’t quite sure anymore what Liam classified as date. “The whole trip to London was just a multiple days date. Why do you think I asked you to come?”

“I don’t know, because it’s boring to drive so long by yourself? Did you really see this all as a date?” Okay, maybe Niall was just an idiot for never having considered all this after Liam had admitted his feelings to him, because obviously the older boy must have felt something for him for a while, he had even told him so.

“Of course I did. Babe, every time I asked you to hang out or come with me to somewhere or go on walks with me… it was all kinda a date. Not in the very beginning, but afterwards. I really wanted to get to know you better and figure this all out, but I was thinking about us being together and taking it all further whenever we did things together.” Liam seemed slightly bothered that Niall was still acting so clueless and as if he didn’t actually believe that he was into him, so the younger boy made sure to explain himself.

“Oh, I… I mean, I never really thought about that, actually, like, after you told me how you felt. But before I just thought you were doing all this stuff because you just liked me as a friend, or a brother, and you also introduced me to people as your brother and… also, I didn’t wanna look at any of it as a date because I just thought I’d be disappointing myself even more.” Okay, not the right thing to say, Niall was an idiot.

“I’m still sorry about the brother thing, I genuinely thought we were just doing it for fun, like as an inside joke. And I really hate myself for waiting so long to speak up.” Liam’s expression had gotten a bit sad and now he clearly felt guilty and Niall hated that look on his face, so he made sure to smile instead.

“It’s all good now though, so it’s whatever, really. And we haven’t known each other for THAT long and-“

And then Niall had the scariest second of his life when he heard someone knocking at the car window and he flinched terribly while Liam just rolled his eyes, not phased at all. Fuck, Niall was going to KILL Louis.

“Are you ever gonna come out of there?” Louis asked from outside and Niall had to literally force himself to turn around and look at him.

“If you stop being a dick we might.” They had no choice, also, Louis didn’t care about Niall’s choice of words anyways. 

Niall squeezed Liam’s hand again before letting go, throwing another look at him before he got out of the car, not returning Louis’ hug though and going straight to hug Harry instead, just to piss him off. “My god, I didn’t mean to scare you. Who’d you think it was? A robber? A kidnapper?”

“Could’ve been.” Niall pressed his lips together, watching as Liam said hi to the other two as well before luckily immediately wrapping his arm around Niall once more. “What’re we actually watching?” 

“Some thriller Harry wanted to see.” Louis shrugged and Niall just KNEW Liam was grinning next to him even though he wasn’t looking at him. They had watched a thriller or horror movie or whatever last time as well and then Niall had gotten paranoid as hell and he wasn’t quite sure if he’d feel much better this time around with his friend being there as well to witness him being scared.

“I did-“

“Let’s go inside.” Louis cut his boyfriend off with a very obvious glance and Niall refrained from rolling his eyes because there was no use, they all knew Louis had lied about buying the tickets on accident and had they confronted him, he would have never admitted it anyways. Plus, they could have still said no so it was whatever really.

So they went inside, into a pretty much empty cinema except for two employees and maybe three other people and Niall would have maybe already gotten anxious had he not had other things on his mind right now.

“Do you want popcorn?” Liam made sure to ask, quietly though while Harry and Louis were arguing about how to pronounce the title of some movie on a poster they had passed. 

“Hmmm… “ Niall pretended to be thinking about it, but luckily, he didn’t have to continue to think of a way to say yes without sounding greedy because Liam already knew him way too well.

“Do you guys want something as well?” The older boy simply took Niall’s answer as a yes as it seemed, slowly letting his arm drop from around Niall’s shoulders but he did intertwine their fingers almost immediately so that was alright. “I’ll pay, since you paid for the tickets.”

“We actually ate before, maybe we could sh-“

“No, we can’t share.” Niall interrupted Louis without thinking, which made the other boy pull up his eyebrows while Liam just laughed, probably already having guessed why. Still, Niall shouldn’t have sounded so panicked about getting to eat a bit less popcorn.

“Don’t pretend like you’ve not eaten _at least_ two thirds whenever we went to the cinema, Nialler.” Well, not exactly a lie.

“You dropped the whole bag last time.” And then Niall had eaten most of what had been left but that really wasn’t the point here. “And then you finished both our drinks without asking.”

“I told you I was sorry, I didn’t even notice, and also, that was months ago.” Also true, they hadn’t gone to the cinema in ages, not together and by themselves at least and Niall kinda had a feeling that in the future, it would always be like this instead.

“I’ll just get something for everyone.” Liam interrupted before Niall could have even answered, pulling the younger boy with him by his hand. He was clearly amused, Niall could tell just by throwing a brief glance at his face.

“It’s not funny, it really happened.” Niall made sure to tell his boyfriend after having thrown a look over his shoulder to make sure they had gotten far enough away from the others where they couldn’t hear them anymore.

“I didn’t doubt it happened, I just think it’s really funny how you two always find a new reason to pick on each other.” He laughed quietly, squeezing Niall’s hand back when the younger boy curled his free hand around Liam’s inner elbow, just because he could. “Don’t worry, babe, I promise you will never have to worry about not getting enough popcorn with me.”

“I wouldn’t mind sharing it with you.” Not at all, in fact, Niall also wouldn’t have minded sharing it with Harry or anybody else in this world, but not Louis, simply because it had always ended badly. 

“I know, love.” Liam’s smile was soft when their eyes met and Niall could feel himself blushing, but at the same time his stomach was growing warm just because he was so fucking happy that Liam was here with him, that he had somehow gotten lucky enough to be able to call this boy his. 

Liam of course ended up getting Niall the largest size popcorn despite the younger’s protest, and then he also refused letting Niall pay him back any of the stuff he bought for them and only accepted a kiss as a thank you. Louis actually tried giving Liam money as well, which was also refused, but other than Niall, Louis didn’t put up any sort of fight. The thing was, whenever Liam spent money on Niall, the younger boy couldn’t help thinking about where Liam’s money was coming from and even though he knew he also got a lot for his modelling jobs… it was probably nowhere near as much as he got for winning these fights.

They weren’t alone in the movie once they had found their seats, but there were only two other people there sitting a few rows in front of them, which Niall was kinda glad about because he actually hated having people sitting behind him while watching a somewhat scary movie. Not like he would have ever admitted that of course, especially not in front of Louis.

“You know if you can’t finish all that popcorn, I’m right here.” Louis joked while they were waiting for the movie to start and Niall just rolled his eyes, suddenly not quite sure anymore why he and Louis were sitting next to each other in the middle. 

“You almost got as much as us.” Well, not really. 

“I’m just saying, nothing else, just offering. I care about our planet, I don’t want any food to go to waste.” The fact that he was able to say this with such a straight face made Niall wanna roll his eyes so damn hard but then he decided not to.

“You’re an idiot, Lou.” He told him instead, which only made his friend grin before ruffling Niall’s hair, so unexpectedly that Niall had no chance to stop him from doing it. 

“I-“

“Shhh, I wanna see this.” Niall shushed Louis because he was kinda done having this conversation, pretending to be really into the trailers being shown and luckily his friend did shut up, but not before purposely pissing Niall off by reaching over to eat some of his popcorn even though he had his own. Of course.

“Okay?” Liam asked, quietly enough so only Niall could hear him because the younger boy was leaning towards him anyways, away from Louis, and he made sure to nod, trying to somehow hold the popcorn in between them so Liam could have some as well. But mostly so Louis couldn’t reach it anymore.

It’s not that Niall regretted coming or anything, he was actually quite glad now that they were here, but he also had other things on his mind. His mother wanting to have a talk with him, that whole trip to wherever, Liam having to go to America for a whole week and then of course what he and Liam had discussed before, about them sleeping together. And Niall still didn’t know whether Liam had been joking when he had said they needed to wait another night. Did that mean he would have been okay with it tomorrow night or something?

Niall didn’t have all too much time worrying about all this kinda stuff when the movie started and he had already gone through almost half the popcorn, much to Liam’s amusement. It wasn’t a horror movie, so that was a really good thing and though Niall quickly realized that it was kinda scary, he still had hopes in the beginning that he wouldn’t be walking out of here clinging to Liam for his dear life. About halfway through though, he wasn’t quite sure anymore. 

“Liam?” Niall was whispering so he wouldn’t disturb anybody else, trying not to look at the screen right now because there was a pretty gross scene which his boyfriend seemed to be watching rather intently though when Niall checked.

“Hm?” The older boy made, leaning a bit closer without actually turning his head. 

“Can I hold your hand?” Niall was kinda forced to ask because it was a bit dark and also, Liam had the almost empty popcorn bag on his lap now so Niall wouldn’t have to hold it throughout the whole movie.

When he asked this though, Liam did immediately look at him, which probably didn’t make much of a difference because of the poor lightening. He made sure to put the bag on the floor instead before wordlessly searching for Niall’s hand in the dark, pulling it over to his lips until he could kiss the younger’s knuckles while some guy was getting shot on the screen in front of them. “Do you wanna leave?”

“What? No.” Niall was really surprised by that question, but he was also kinda touched that Liam had offered even though it looked like he was enjoying the movie. “I’m fine, keep on watching.”

The older boy didn’t really seem convinced, but he did turn his head again eventually, keeping a tight grip around Niall’s hand and it did help somehow, if Niall only focused on that and nothing else. Okay, maybe this had been a bad idea, but at least everyone was so taken in by the movie that hopefully no one noticed just how tightly Niall was clinging to Liam’s hand and that he did bury his face against the older’s shoulder towards the end, when it got really intense.

He did feel kinda stupid about it though once the lights had gone back on and the movie was over. Like, Niall had looked away so much that he wasn’t even quite sure what the plot had been, which was a good thing though because he wasn’t sure if he even wanted to know.

“Wow, I thought this was gonna be much worse.” Harry commented while they were walking out, Niall trying to be subtle while clinging to Liam so desperately that his knuckles were turning white, the older boy soothingly rubbing his thumb over the younger boy’s, throwing worried glances at him every few seconds.

“You chose a movie you thought would suck?” Niall asked, just because he knew that it hadn’t been Harry who had chosen it.

“I mean, like… worse as in, more blood and stuff.” He was clearly lying, throwing a look at Louis, who just shrugged again before sadly taking a look at Niall’s face.

“I think it was a bit too much blood for Niall. You’re really pale.” Louis commented once they were back in the entrance hall, still eating the popcorn Niall had left because he had felt a bit too sick to continue eating after a while, so he had given the bag to Louis. 

“I’m always pale.” Niall tried to laugh it off, but just like when he had been here with Liam for the very first time, he felt slightly paranoid. “It wasn’t even that gross. We’ve watched way worse movies before.”

“We did, but you were still a Beta back then or at least thought you were, I think as an Omega you get scared more easily.” Okay, what?

“That’s not even true. One, I’m not scared and two, that makes no sense.” Or maybe it did, but Niall didn’t wanna talk about it right now, especially not in front of everyone else.

“It is true though, it’s so that Alphas feel protective and stuff. And it clearly worked.” He was referring to Liam looking all worried probably and though Niall wanted to get annoyed with Louis for bringing shit like that up again, he also decided that he didn’t really care anymore. Liam was his boyfriend anyways, he knew that Niall was in love with him and that he wanted to be close to him, so whatever. “You can choose a movie next time.”

“Next time?” Niall asked with his eyebrows pulled up, kinda in a joking way though. 

“Don’t pretend like you hated coming this much or you wouldn’t have even agreed.” Louis did have a point and maybe Niall would have tried to argue a bit more but he was kinda done for the day, it was almost midnight and he was feeling quite paranoid. 

“I still don’t know why you texted Liam and not me though.” Niall held on even more tightly to Liam’s hand as they walked outside of the building, relieved to remember that the older boy had parked the car really close to the entrance. 

“Because sometimes you don’t text me back for a whole day and I kinda needed a quick decision.” He explained but Niall could tell by the grin on Harry’s face that he was trying to hide that there had probably been other reasons, but he decided to leave it be for now. 

Niall had no idea where Harry had parked his car, but the other two did go with them down the sidewalk for a few moments and when they were almost by Liam’s car and Niall could feel his paranoia and anxiety playing up again as some people came towards them, he couldn’t help thinking that this was the worst timing ever. 

It was Zayn, and some guy Niall didn’t know and it was dark outside but it was quite obvious that Liam was holding Niall’s hand, that they were clearly a couple, and the younger boy panicked for a moment, not knowing what to do because he had no idea who this other guy was. If he would tell anybody about their relationship, somebody who wasn’t supposed to know about it.

“Oh, hi.” Zayn seemed very surprised, probably even more than Louis and Harry, who hopefully didn’t remember the time Zayn had come over to them to talk to Niall about Liam. 

“Hi.” Liam didn’t let go of Niall’s hand, didn’t even make any attempts to either, so that was a little bit of a relief. His voice had gotten harder though, and so had his face, which could have also been due to the fact that he still seemed pissed at Zayn for having forced him to tell Niall the truth about their trip.

“I, uh, I assume you didn’t check your phone?” Wait, what? Oh god, please no.

“We were at the cinema, so… it’s turned off.” Liam explained carefully, they were both clearly tiptoeing around the topic because of Harry and Louis and Niall was already annoyed by the conversation he was sure would follow afterwards.

“Good.” Was all Zayn said, throwing a bit of an intense look at Liam, and then at Niall. “Well, we gotta get going. I assume you do, too.”

“Yeah… see you tomorrow or so.” Well, this had been awkward as hell and now Niall was scared again and also even more paranoid. Where were Zayn and this guy going? To a fight? Was it somewhere around here and did that mean other people could possibly see them as well if they kept on standing there?!

Louis at least waited until Zayn was gone far enough and Liam had fumbled out his keys without letting go of Niall’s hand, but it still wasn’t very tactful. “Who the hell was that?”

“Just a friend, from uni.” Liam kept it short and Niall could tell he wanted to leave as quickly as possible which had as a result that the younger boy also got more nervous and anxious. “Well, thanks for paying for the tickets and asking us to come.”

“Yeah, sure, uh… thanks for the popcorn.” Louis and Harry were clearly confused, but they did say goodbye and there were no more questions before they kept on walking to Harry’s car, Liam kinda promptly letting go of Niall’s hand so they could leave. Niall knew that Louis wouldn’t forget about this, and neither would Harry, probably, but no matter how many times they kept on asking, Niall wouldn’t be able to tell them the truth anyways.

“Were you supposed to fight tonight?” Niall asked once Liam had started the car, barely even having waited for the younger boy to put on his seatbelt, very atypical. Plus, he was throwing a few too many looks into the rearview mirror. 

“I don’t know, probably, I can’t turn my phone on and check.” Liam sounded really focused, so Niall waited for a few moments and until Liam had driven the car around a few unnecessary corners to speak up again.

“This guy who was with Zayn… do you think he’s gonna say something? About us, I mean? I didn’t know if I should have let go of your hand, I’m sorry if-“

“Baby, it’s not your fault, okay? It was just really bad timing. He won’t say anything, I don’t think. Zayn will make sure he doesn’t, it’s all good and nobody else saw us.” The older boy was slowly relaxing now that they were driving home, unexpectedly reaching over to take Niall’s hand into his. “Don’t worry about it, yeah? Everything is good, I promise.”

“Won’t your boss be mad if your phone is turned off though? Maybe he thinks you did it on purpose or something. Or maybe this other guy will say something to someone and then it all comes out and… and something bad happens.” No idea what, but judging by the fact that Liam was too scared to tell his boss no, anything was possible. 

“He’ll probably be mad, but not anymore after the fight is over and one of the other guys won. It’s not the first time somebody doesn’t answer their phone on time and especially at night, nothing will happen, I promise. And Zayn is really good at scaring people and this guy is relatively new, so he won’t say anything to anyone. We’ll just go home and forget about it.” Easier said than done. “And if Louis or Harry start asking more questions-“

“I won’t tell them anything, Li, you know that. I’d never.” Also, there would have been no point in dragging them into this whole mess as well, was there?

“I know, baby. Sorry, I was just kinda scared right now somebody else would see us or my car.” Liam let out a sigh, momentarily having to let go of Niall’s hand but he did move his arm back immediately afterwards. “Please don’t be worried about this, okay? There’s really no need.”

“I’m trying… “ He really was, also, Niall decided to purposely ignore his phone right now because he really did not wanna have to tell lies tonight. “I’m still thinking about that movie anyways.”

“We could have left if it really was that bad for you.” Now Liam sounded even more worried, which wasn’t exactly helping Niall to feel any calmer though. 

“No, no, it’s… it wasn’t that bad, I just… there was a lot of blood, I felt a bit sick during it.” Also, really scared. “But it wasn’t a bad plot or anything and it’s already over now, I’ll live.”

“I sure hope so, because I’d miss you terribly otherwise.” Liam threw a quick smile at Niall, clearly trying to lighten the mood so Niall decided to go with it because there was no use in dwelling on it anyways. It had already happened, there was nothing they could have done now. “Don’t be scared, I’d protect you from everything, Nialler.”

“I know… I’m not scared. Not with you.” Well, maybe a teeny tiny bit, but Liam probably knew that anyways when he pulled Niall’s hand over to his side so he could kiss the back.

They got home a short while later without any more instances, both of them deciding not to shower anymore because their parents had already gone to bed and Niall insisted they slept in Liam’s room because he was afraid of what his mother would do in the morning, much to the older’s amusement. 

Niall also wrote a quick message to Louis after the other boy had brought up Zayn again, just telling him that Liam had been supposed to go out with some friends even though he hadn’t wanted to and that that was why Zayn had told him not to check his phone. No idea if he bought that because Niall put his phone away afterwards in favor of putting his head on his boyfriend’s chest and cuddling into him underneath the blanket, trying to steady his heartbeat once Liam had turned off all the lights.

“I’m really glad we told our parents today.” Liam spoke up after a few minutes of them lying in silence, his fingers dancing across Niall’s skin, drawing random patterns on his arm where his shirt sleeve had slipped up. “And I know you’re annoyed by your mom, but she only means well and she seemed really happy.”

“I know, I just really wasn’t prepared for all of that happening tonight, I guess… can I ask you something?” It only came to Niall randomly, he had actually been busy worrying about all kinda other stuff when he suddenly remembered. 

“Anything.” Liam answered immediately, seemingly not worried at all about what the younger boy would ask. 

“When you were talking to your mom on the phone and she asked if you only talked to your dad once a day… what’d she mean by that?” Or better, was there something going on between them that Niall had managed not to notice for months?

“I mean… you probably know we don’t spend a lot of time together and… it’s always kinda been like this. When I was younger my mom always wanted me to come live with her, but I didn’t want to and I also couldn’t have because… you know.” Sadly, Niall DID know, even if he wished more than ever that none of this would have ever happened to Liam, even if that would have meant that things would have been completely different, if only Liam could have been safe. “But yeah, me and my dad don’t have the best relationship, we don’t talk a lot, about anything, so… it was always like this, we just live our lives next to each other but that’s it.”

“Are you sad about that?” Niall would have been, if that was how he and his mother had lived next to each other all their lives, but maybe that was different because they had been crammed into this tiny apartment for as long as he could remember. Also, things between them had changed now that they were here, but Niall had kinda expected that anyways and he knew he could have talked to his mother about anything if he had wanted to. 

“No, I don’t know. I’m used to it, it was never different, not even when I was younger. We just don’t have a lot to say to each other and I was actually really surprised when my dad told me he was dating your mom, because… he was never the type to go out on dates and stuff, but they seem really happy with each other, so I wasn’t too surprised about the proposal.” Well, that made one of them. “I just think that I’m already 22 now and I have my own life, we live in the same house together, but that’s about it. And just because we’re related doesn’t mean we have to get along brilliantly.”

“Yeah, I guess… I still think it’s kinda sad.” Maybe because Niall had never had a dad and even though he actually felt no urge to ask about him or meet him, at times he had wondered about what it would have been like. Now that he was here though and that he had Liam, those thoughts rarely crossed his mind because he wouldn’t have wanted to change any of this for the world.

“Don’t. I’m fine with it and so is my dad, it’s all good. I know I say that a lot, but it’s true and I don’t want you to worry about me because there’s no need to, okay?” Niall felt Liam kissing the top of his head and he was also getting really sleepy so he agreed quietly, even if he couldn’t turn those worries about his boyfriend off, they were there constantly in the back of his mind, ever since Liam had told him the truth about the fights. “Do you wanna go to sleep?”

“Yeah… “ The younger boy had to convince himself for a moment to force his body to move so he could kiss Liam goodnight, needing a few tries to actually find his mouth in the darkness though. “I love you… “

“I love you too, baby. You’re not still scared because of the movie, right?” Liam asked once Niall had settled down again and now that he mentioned it…

“I was just starting to forget about it.” Niall kinda joked, but also not really.

“Sorry, don’t think about it anymore, let’s sleep.” He did sound guilty, squeezing Niall more tightly for a moment and the younger boy tried to follow his advice, letting his eyes fall closed. There surely was a lot of stuff going on Niall had no idea whether he was equipped to deal with once the time came, but luckily for him he was really tired and being close to Liam always helped him feeling better, safer.

 

\--------------------------

 

“Can I come in?” Niall’s mother was asking even though she was already standing in the doorway, making the boy flinch a bit because he had been focusing on his book.

“Sure.” Any break from studying was welcome, even if it was his mother probably wanting to talk about stuff Niall really did not wanna talk about, not with her and actually with nobody besides Liam. 

He turned around in his spinning chair though, watching his mother closing the door behind herself before coming to sit on the edge of his bed. She didn’t actually look overly excited like whenever she saw Niall and Liam together since they had told her on Thursday and it was only Saturday now so maybe her euphoria was wearing off more quickly than Niall would have thought. “Liam isn’t home?”

“No, he’s at the gym, so… “ Niall shrugged, actually trying not to think about Liam being at the gym and having declined coming along because at some point he actually needed to pass an exam and graduate. 

“And you didn’t wanna go?” Niall’s mother asked, staying serious for a moment before laughing at the face Niall pulled. “I’m just kidding, love. Do you have work tonight?”

“Yeah, but only in a few hours. Liam’s gonna drive me later.” Which meant Niall would have no excuse at all to get out of this conversation in case things turned embarrassing, so he decided to just get it over with already. “Everything okay?”

“Yes, I just thought that maybe we could talk since we’re all alone for once, doesn’t happen too often anymore.” No idea where Liam’s dad was, probably at work, or maybe Niall’s mother had sent him off to go buy something so she could talk to Niall. Even more terrifying.

“Yeah… what’d you wanna talk about?” Niall decided to play dumb, just because he didn’t wanna jump right into it, but it seemed his mother had other plans. 

“You’re still on the pill, right?” Oh god.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” It’d just make things worse for Niall, also, did his mother think he WANTED to get pregnant?!

“I’m just making sure, nothing else. I don’t know what you and Liam have done together and I also don’t even wanna know, but I still thought that maybe we should talk about this. Normally we would have done that way sooner, but since you presented so late… “ Obviously they had had the talk, but… not from the perspective of an Omega. “I know I can’t talk from experience because I’m a Beta, but I spoke to some of my friends and-“

“You spoke to your friends about _my_ sex life?” Okay, if Niall hadn’t already been blushed, he sure as hell was now.

“So you did have sex?” Fuck, what?

“No, I- what? Why?” Niall wasn’t going to survive this conversation without dying from embarrassment, it was official.

“I’m just asking. And no, I didn’t talk about that, I just thought I’d inform myself in general so that we could talk about it, I’m your mother after all.” Exactly, and Niall was 20 years old, which made this whole situation even worse. “Why are you so embarrassed, Ni? There’s really no need.”

“Because… “ Niall started, making some movement with his hand because he didn’t actually know what to say or why he was again acting like a baby. “I informed myself, we don’t… we don’t have to talk about it, I, uh, I know how it works and stuff. I talked to Liam as well.”

“We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to of course. Actually, that wasn’t even really why I wanted us to talk.” Oh god, it was going to get worse. “I know I never told you before and we never really talked about it in great detail, but your father was an Alpha as well.”

“I- really?” Okay, Niall hadn’t know that and this didn’t sound as if it was still going to be about his nonexistent sex life, so he wasn’t opposed to talking about it. 

“Yes. And I know Liam is not like him or a lot of other Alphas out there, as far as I know of course, but there are still things that I think I should tell you regarding this.” Niall’s mother actually seemed uncomfortable talking about this, which wasn’t a surprise though because neither of them had ever enjoyed talking about Niall’s dad. “Did you talk to Liam about bonding?”

“Um, yes, but… we decided we wouldn’t like… randomly bond after just getting together.” Well, Liam had decided that for them, which was a good thing that he was the one who actually had to do it because god knew Niall was too far gone for him to make a rational decision like that. Even though he was quite certain that they would bond at some point in life because Niall couldn’t imagine ever wanting to be with anybody else again other than Liam. Hopefully, there would also never be a need to think about that. 

“Good. I know you’re mature enough to make these decisions yourself and you probably think it’s annoying I wanna talk to you about it, but I don’t want you to have any regrets because of a decision you made when you were in love and haven’t thought it through.” This sounded very serious again and Niall was slowly getting worried instead of annoyed like his mother seemed to think.

“Did, uh… did my father bond with somebody else?” It couldn’t have been Niall’s mother obviously, she was a Beta, so maybe… “Is that…. is that why he left?”

“Sort of, yes. But he was already bonded with an Omega when I met him, he said he regretted it and that they weren’t soulmates after all, that he was already over her, but… breaking a bond doesn’t work like that, you can’t just decide to forget about it, both sides have to want it and I don’t think either of them really did in this case. But we were all young and it’s not why he left in the end, there were multiple reasons.” Niall’s mother said the last part carefully, but there was no real need to anyways.

“He didn’t want kids.” Obviously.

“No, he didn’t.” His mother confirmed after a moment of hesitation, studying Niall’s face until the boy looked away, not quite sure how to feel right now. “I was the one who told him to leave though, he was really controlling and possessive and… he was the stereotypical Alpha. But it would have never worked like that because I’m a Beta and I do believe his true soulmate was the woman who he bonded with, not that I know if they’re still together or not, but… anyways. I’m just glad you have Liam and I’m hoping you’re both gonna be careful and not do anything you might regret in a few years.”

“We won’t… I mean, we will be careful and, uh, actually… Liam’s very… very keen on waiting with everything, so… and he’s not a stereotypical Alpha at all. Far from it.” Well, not FAR, but he had none of the negative personality traits people would always talk about. “I guess I really learned my lesson about how I used to think about all this before we moved here.”

“You only ever had Beta friends, so I wasn’t really surprised you thought that way. And if I’m being honest… I was always quite relieved you never dated an Alpha before, I was always worried things would repeat themselves with you and… I do think you and Liam might be lucky enough to have actually found your soulmates.” Oh god, now Niall was blushing again. 

“I don’t know, um… maybe, yeah. I hope so… “ Niall mumbled, not looking at his mother though because god, did she really think they were soulmates?! “Can I ask another question about my father though?”

“Of course.” She didn’t seem too keen on it, but she was obviously trying hard not to let it show. 

“Do you, like… I mean, if he just left, do you know where he went to? I mean… did he ever pay child support or something?” Niall already knew the answer before he had finished asking, but he couldn’t have been sure of course.

“I don’t know where he went and no, he never paid a single pound, he’s not listed as your father on your birth certificate, nobody is, so I really had no chance to get him to pay. And I was just glad to have him out of our lives, so I never tried to contact him again.” At this point, Niall could have asked for a name, or anything really, but he looked at his mother and then he didn’t because… it didn’t matter, why would he go looking for a person who had never cared about him, not even for a second? “I’m pretty sure he moved somewhere, I’ve never seen him again.”

“Probably… I was just curious, is all.” Mostly because they rarely ever talked about this and Niall had never brought it up himself, only as a child once a while. 

“Alright, well, I’ll leave you to study then... Oh, right, I was gonna ask you and even if you’re gonna be all embarrassed again about this… when is your next heat? Just so we can plan a bit.” She had already gotten up, clearly suppressing a laugh when Niall let out a sigh and took his phone out to check his calendar.

“Umm… in about two weeks. So like, not next Monday, but the one after… but, uh, I don’t know if, like, if it’ll be on time.” Probably not.

“That’s fine, we can just go a week or two after that, should be fine.” She then turned to leave, but right when her hand was already on the door knob and Niall thought he could breathe again, she did decide to make him blush one more time. “Oh, and Niall, if you and Liam do decide to sleep together then please don’t throw the sheets in with our normal washing.”

“Mom?!” Oh fucking hell.

“I’m just saying, just wash it separately, okay? And please don’t wait ages to do it.” At least she felt no need to explain WHY even though they both knew why and Niall’s face was actually on fucking fire right now thinking about how his mother was thinking about it. God, why?! “Do you know how to use the washing machine?”

“Um, yes? Why would I not know that?” Niall was just casually dying over here, nothing new. 

“I don’t know, maybe Liam has done all your washing since we moved here, he’s clearly more equipped to live on his own than you are. No offense, honey, but we both know it’s true.” True. Also, maybe another reason why his mother was so excited about them being in a relationship.

“If I can’t make it work I can just ask him, but I really gotta study now.” Niall half snapped, so his mother just shrugged before finally leaving his room, probably leaving the door open on pure purpose but Niall didn’t even care anymore.

He was relieved that this conversation was over, but even though he was embarrassed as hell now and couldn’t concentrate on a single sentence for at least 15 minutes, he was still somehow glad that it had happened.

 

\----------------------

 

Liam was aware that Niall was afraid of his heat all through the next week, but he purposely didn’t ask him about it because he didn’t want them to just do something to get it over with and also… maybe Liam was slightly nervous too. Also, there were other things going on at the same time, Liam’s boss was pissed at him for his phone having been turned off that one night and now Liam was 100% certain he would have to come along on that trip to America.

Luckily, their parents chose a safe date for their trip to their wedding location, which they still refused to tell them anything about, as if Niall and Liam cared that much about it. Liam did tell Niall about his boss being pissed off because he had sworn himself not to keep any more secrets from his boyfriend. Niall was clearly nervous and worried and Liam hated it, but there was nothing he could have done to change any of that.

At least Zayn had managed to shut that one guy up about seeing Niall and Liam holding hands and Liam had somewhat calmed down about his friend exposing him in front of his boyfriend, so that was something. Still, Zayn also had no idea how to get Liam out of this trip and nobody else did either, so basically, Liam was just waiting for the time to pass by, ignoring the topic whenever he was with Niall and the younger boy did the same because there was no need for them to talk about it anymore. Plus, it would have only ended with them feeling bad and Niall possibly crying and that was truly the very last thing Liam wanted, he just wanted to live in their little love bubble for as long as somehow possible even if he knew that this trip was going to burst it. 

Or pretty much any phone call from his boss could have done the very same. 

“I feel like shit.” Niall was complaining like crazy when they left the gym and Liam tried not to laugh, because he did feel bad for the younger boy. “My arms hurt, my butt does and I don’t think I’ve ever sweated more in my entire life.”

“You’ve only used the treadmill for like 20 minutes.” Harry threw in, who they had actually met randomly there and since he had arrived at around the same time, he was walking outside with them now to the parking lot.

“20 minutes is really fucking long for me, okay?” Niall snapped at him and Liam decided for himself that he would never ask his boyfriend to come work out with him again, even if it had kinda been fun. For him at least, clearly not for Niall. “I’m never gonna work out again.”

“You’ll feel better once we’re home and you’ve had a shower.” Liam promised, wrapping his arm around the younger’s shoulders but promptly being shrugged off again.

“Don’t, I’m really gross right now.” To be fair, his shirt was drenched, but Liam didn’t actually care about that. “You can hold my hand.”

“Thanks, babe, very generous.” Liam laughed, but he did intertwine their fingers, quickly pressing a kiss to Niall’s sweaty temple before he was able to complain too much. 

They said goodbye to Harry once they had reached his car and Niall kept making him promise not to tell Louis about how badly he had done at the gym. Liam tried to calm him down about that afterwards, but Niall was absolutely convinced he was the worst at any type of sports or work out and Liam didn’t really know what to tell him. He did know though that he would wait for Niall to ask to come along next time instead of asking him himself, he just always asked that question whenever he went anywhere, just because he actually wanted Niall to come with him pretty much wherever he went… except for fights of course. But he would have taken him there as well had it been possible.

Liam let Niall use the shower first once they were back home, Niall’s mother inconveniently commenting on never having seen Niall in sports clothing, so that didn’t really help. When Liam was done getting washed as well, the younger boy was still lying on his bed when he came back, having done nothing except for putting on some sweatpants.

“What’s wrong?” Liam asked as he rubbed his towel over his damp hair after getting dressed, looking down at Niall just lying on his bed completely spread out, as if he had just gotten back from a marathon or something. 

“Nothing, I’m tired. And I’m hot.” He complained a bit, moving an arm over his eyes as Liam sat down next to him on the bed. 

“You’re always hot.” Liam told him to lighten the mood, but it didn’t really seem to work because all Niall did was move until he could put his head into the older’s lap and Liam got a bit worried, moving his hand into the younger’s hair.

“Can I come to your photoshoot later?” Niall asked after a moment of silence, which surprised Liam because Niall had already told him he would stay home and study.

“’course, babe.” He was kinda tempted to ask what had brought Niall’s change of mind, but then he didn’t because Niall would have told him if he had wanted to talk about it, so there was nothing for Liam to say really and instead he was just sitting there stroking his boyfriend’s hair, eventually lying back as well and Niall almost immediately went to lie on top of him.

Liam didn’t really know what had happened today for his boyfriend to be so clingy, but he did remember now that he had been the same this morning when they had gotten up and when Liam had walked him to class and Niall had looked so sad saying goodbye, as if they wouldn’t see each other for a few days rather than one and a half hours. Maybe that was why he had agreed to come to the gym, so he could be with Liam, and the older boy felt like a right idiot for only figuring it out now.

He didn’t say anything about it though, just allowed Niall to use him as a pillow, holding him tightly in return as well. There wasn’t a lot of time until they had to leave for Liam’s shoot and though it hurt Liam’s heart to disturb Niall’s light slumber on top of him, the younger boy didn’t actually seem too upset when he had to get dressed and walk downstairs to the car. 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Liam couldn’t help but ask again once he was pulling out of his parking space, a little surprised when it was actually Niall this time who reached over to hold his hand. 

“I’m fine, why?” He seemed genuinely confused and Liam thought that maybe he was interpreting a bit much into all of this, but Niall was definitely more clingy than normally. 

“Just asking… you’d tell me if anything was up, right?” Usually he always did, or was just really bad at hiding it, but this right here was very different.

“Yeah, I always tell you everything.” Niall shrugged, clearly still confused while playing with Liam’s fingers and Liam tried not to get too distracted while driving.

Luckily Liam worked with different people than the ones who he had introduced Niall to as his brother, so this time he could actually just say he was his boyfriend, which spared a lot of confused stares and questions probably. Niall seemingly had a hard time not touching Liam during the shoot and just watching, especially after Liam was allowed to take a break and the younger boy was hanging all over him wanting to kiss him in front of like 10 people, which wasn’t that usual for him, but Liam let it happen anyways, trying to keep it toned down though when he returned the kisses.

When they got back into the car a few hours later, it basically hit Liam right then and there and he felt like a right idiot for not having noticed earlier.

“You’re going into heat.” Liam just blurted out with it, the smell having filled the car now that they were in a small space together and he didn’t even know why he was so surprised, because this was his boyfriend for crying out loud.

“What? No, I can’t, still have another whole week.” Niall told him, but at the same time, he had already grabbed Liam’s hand again even before Liam had done as much as start the car, hesitating for a moment. 

“I can smell it though and your skin feels really hot.” And he had been really clingy and Liam was truly an idiot. He had known Niall had another week though because they’d be going on that trip in two weeks, so he hadn’t thought about that at all. Which sucked because they had just been avoiding that topic for so long and it was too late now. “It’s okay, you’re probably just early, it happens, and we’re gonna be home in a few minutes anyways.”

“And what then?” Niall blurted out, not giving Liam his hand back just yet and the older boy knew exactly what he meant, he just wasn’t sure if he wanted to talk about it. 

“Then we’ll see.” He settled for that answer after thinking about it for a moment, suddenly feeling really fucking nervous. Liam knew that Niall had been ready for them to sleep together pretty much since they had gotten together, but he had wanted them to wait and he had thought he would have more time to think about how to handle Niall’s heat because they would both be more affected by it now that they were a couple and… fuck, Liam didn’t want them to do it just for the sake of it. 

The drive home wasn’t too comfortable, they didn’t really talk and luckily they were home alone afterwards or it might have gotten awkward. Or maybe it wasn’t actual luck because that meant that there was literally no reason at all for them to sit around in separate rooms and wait it out. 

“Li… “ Niall was almost whining as soon as they had come in through the front door and he hadn’t even taken off his shoes before already wrapping his arms around Liam’s neck and fuck, Liam was so weak. “I, um… I’m okay if you wanna wait, but if… if you don’t, then… “

Then he would let Liam do anything he wanted and the older boy knew it and it just made all of this so much harder because he knew they were both completely influenced by their DNA and yet he couldn’t change anything about the fact that he wanted Niall so badly right now that it hurt. Literally. 

Liam put his hands on Niall’s hips, staring into his gorgeous eyes while having an inner moral conflict, but pretty much the moment Niall bit his lip, almost pleading Liam to do something, anything at all, the older boy told himself to just screw it as he covered the younger’s mouth with his own, pushing all his stupid worries into the back of his head as they stumbled backwards towards the staircase. 

So much for taking it slow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys!!! :D
> 
> thank you for all the lovely feedback <3 i hope you enjoyed this chapter as well, i know not a lot happened but its still important stuff for following chapters (especially the ending :p)!
> 
> i would love to hear what you all thought <3 have a great week!


	15. Chapter 15

Liam couldn’t fully recall how they ever made it into his room, he was pretty sure he half carried Niall up the stairs and kicked the door shut with his foot, so loudly that something fell off his desk but nobody else was home and Liam couldn’t be arsed to check, so whatever. He was so busy snogging Niall and grabbing onto him, that he only really started to use his brain again after they had both somehow ripped off each others shirts and Niall was lying on the bed, chest heaving as he struggled to get some breath, his skin flushed and Liam’s lips burning. 

“Wait, wait.” Liam breathlessly told the younger boy as he attempted to pull him down for another kiss, needing a moment to take this all in, actually process it, because fuck, if he didn’t they’d be in here fucking in the next 2 minutes or something. 

“For what?” Niall was clearly impatient, but he did let his arms drop when Liam gently pulled them off of him, just sitting next to his boyfriend while they were both attempting to fill their lunges with some air. Fuck, Liam’s head was spinning and everything tasted and smelled like Niall and he knew that it would only get worse with Niall’s heat progressing, even if it was hard to imagine because it was already pretty fucking hard to not do anything about it. “Liam?”

“I-I… I’m not sure if we should go all the way right now.” The older boy just said what he was thinking, even if his body was telling him something completely different and he knew he was probably going to piss Niall off with this but like… fuck, he had thought they’d have a lot more time to talk about this. 

“Do you not want to?” Niall was slowly sitting up as well now, he was clearly uncomfortable as hell and Liam hated that he had let all this happen until now, giving the younger boy hope just to crush it and leave him hanging, with a probably pretty painful hard on. “It’s, uh, it’s okay, we-“

“No, it’s not that I don’t WANT to.” Because hell, Liam actually wanted nothing more, just having this conversation without touching the younger boy was killing him. “I really, really do, but I just think that we shouldn’t have our first time together like this.”

“So… “ The younger boy started, shifting a bit until he pulled Liam’s blanket across his lap and Liam wanted to slap himself because he had completely ruined the mood now. “I can, like… I can go to my room.”

“Don’t.” Liam was slightly freaked out by that suggestion if he was being honest, because he wanted to give Niall the entire world but he was just making him feel bad all the time, with this and then with the fights and… fuck, he was a shit boyfriend. “I just… I really didn’t expect you to go into heat before next week and I thought we’d have time to talk about how to handle it. And I’m sorry for giving in downstairs and… I get it if you’re pissed off.”

“I’m not pissed off, Li. I’m sorry for being so pushy, um… I’d blame it on my heat but that’s probably not entirely true.” Well, it wasn’t a secret that Niall had been eager for them to sleep together and maybe they truly should have done it sooner, without Niall being in heat, but it was too late for that now. “We don’t have to do anything if you don’t wanna obviously, it’s okay, ‘m not mad or anything. I’d just quickly, uh… quickly need to go to the bathroom for a second and then we can do something else.”

“No, wait.” Okay, this was also not what Liam wanted, he grabbed a hold on Niall’s wrist when the younger boy started moving, having to think this through quickly now. “I didn’t mean we can’t do anything at all.”

“Oh.” This clearly made Niall wanna stay, his arm becoming limp once more in the older’s tight grip. 

“Just… I don’t want it to be all quick and for it to be over in a few minutes and have that be our first time, I know that sounds stupid, but you mean everything to me and when we have sex I want it to be because we both want to, just us, not your heat or my insticts or some shit. I get it if you think that’s stupid.” He probably did, anybody would have, and maybe Liam did as well, because if he was being completely honest with himself here then he would have to admit that he had never felt this way about sex before, especially not a few years ago, but Niall… he was special. 

“I don’t think it’s stupid… actually, I think it’s kinda romantic.” Niall shrugged, but at least now there was a smile tugging on his lips as Liam rubbed his thumb over the inside of his wrist. “We can just go as far as you want, okay? And you tell me if I’m being a bit too over eager?”

“I think we could do that.” Liam agreed, feeling relief spreading through him when Niall leaned in once more to kiss him again, not as eager and desperate this time even though the older boy was aware that he must have felt that way being in heat and all.

Liam was able to enjoy it more this time, making sure to keep his arms around the younger boy while they kissed and Niall moved to lie back down, pulling Liam on top of him. He tasted so fucking good, almost tempting Liam again to do this quicker or go further, but he forced himself to slow down, just enjoy this right here for a moment, have Niall so fucking close, both their shirts gone and the younger’s tongue against his, moving together in sync because they had had enough practice snogging ever since their London trip.

At some point though, Liam felt their pants were really getting in the way even though he appreciated how Niall wasn’t trying to speed things up, he was just pulling Liam’s hair a bit too tightly once a while, but it was like a good kinda pain. The younger boy was only wearing sweatpants anyways, so Liam tried opening the belt of his own jeans first, having a bit of trouble without seeing anything. 

“Wait… I’ll do it.” Niall stopped kissing him for a moment and just because Liam was so desperate all of a sudden to get these jeans off, he sat up a bit, letting the younger boy handle it all though because he seemed to really want to. “They should have just done the photoshoot in those jeans, the clothes they gave you were so weird.”

“You think I looked shit?” Liam couldn’t help but laugh, even though Niall was pretty much undressing him while they were talking. 

“No, you didn’t look like shit, you’ve never looked like shit since I’ve met you, but… those clothes… “ He shook his head a bit, suddenly getting impatient and just pulling Liam’s whole belt off, letting it drop on the floor before making quick process with Liam’s button and zipper. “I still want the link when the pictures come out.”

“I’ll post it on my Instagram.” Liam told him as a joke of course, but it did cause Niall to freeze for a moment, just staring up at Liam with the weirdest expression on his face until the older boy leaned down to kiss him, his jeans pulled down halfway. 

“We’re about to get something going here and you’re telling me I should look up a link on your Instagram?” Niall sounded more than offended, but it was just playful of course and he did kiss Liam back when the other boy just laughed against his mouth, his chest feeling a lot lighter all of a sudden.

“Not now, only in a few days.” Liam reassured him, winking down at him as he sat up again so that he could get his jeans off for real this time, his boxer shorts already feeling rather tight from rubbing against Niall the whole time. 

“Very charming.” The younger boy rolled his eyes, but he was watching intently as Liam undressed himself, about to pull off his sweatpants while still lying down but Liam quickly stopped him.

“Wait, I’m doing that. Lift your hips.” Liam just pulled them off because they were too big on Niall anyways since they were his actually, almost pulling down the younger’s underwear as well on accident, but Niall didn’t seem to care about that.

“Kiss me again.” Niall sounded impatient once Liam had discarded the sweatpants, his hands moving up Liam’s arms and shoulders as the older boy leaned down once more, everything feeling so much more intense now that they were both almost naked. 

Niall’s fingernails scratching over his skin gave Liam goosebumps as he licked back into the younger’s hot mouth, keeping some of his weight on his elbows so he wouldn’t crush Niall even though he was pretty sure Niall wouldn’t have minded one bit. 

Because Niall was in heat, Liam could literally feel how it influenced him and most likely also the younger boy. It was different than when they made out normally in bed without any haste, right now Liam had to literally force himself to slow down and not just shove his hand down Niall’s boxer shorts to finally get them both naked. His skin felt hot and almost itchy and he could feel the younger boy’s erection against his own, as if they had already been doing this for longer than just a few minutes. 

When Liam started kissing down Niall’s jaw and neck, the younger boy still had his fingers curled into his hair, leaning his head back with a sigh to allow Liam better access and Liam couldn’t help but suck a bruise over the younger’s pulse, and then another one. Maybe this need to mark him up and make sure everybody would be able to tell had something to do with Liam being an Alpha as well, but honestly, he didn’t care just one bit right now and neither did Niall, judging by the sounds coming out of his mouth.

“Fuck, Liam… “ Niall half moaned when Liam pressed open mouth kisses down his chest after he was happy with how the bruises had turned out, already red because of the harsh contrast to the younger’s pale skin. “Shit… this is gonna burn so much tomorrow…”

“What?” Liam was slightly confused for a moment, stopping the kisses for a second even though it made the younger boy whine impatiently. “The bruises?”

“No, fuck… please keep going.” The younger boy was pretty much begging him, so Liam did him the favor, luckily getting an answer still though Niall sounded on the edge of passing out or something from lack of air. “Your beard… sometimes it really burns my skin when we- fuck, when we kiss.”

“Oh, would you rather I stop k-“

“No, it’s so hot, I love it, please don’t stop.” Oh.

Well, Liam was definitely not unhappy to hear that, almost a bit amused by how eager the younger boy was, wringing underneath him, but also, he was in heat and it was probably really uncomfortable for him to not be able to get off one way or another so Liam didn’t wanna tease him longer than necessary. 

Niall’s back was arching a bit when Liam wrapped his lips around his nipple, fingers just ghosting over the other one. Having the younger boy react so heavily to pretty much every single one of Liam’s touches almost made Liam’s chest swell with pride, just knowing that he was making the younger boy feel good and giving him what he so desperately wanted… it was the best feeling in the world.

Liam was silently thanking the gods as he sucked on Niall’s nipples that they were home alone because damn, this boy could not keep quiet, not even for a second and it was turning Liam on more than he would have ever expected. At some point, he decided that enough was enough and that Niall sounded as if he was about to literally die, so he carried on kissing down his chest and stomach, the younger boy’s fingers still pulling on his hair, keeping him close. 

“What do you want me to do?” Liam lifted his head a bit once he had reached the hem of Niall’s boxer shorts, looking up into the younger’s face, his chest heaving and his eyes half closed.

“Anything, please, just, do something.” He whined, restlessly shifting on the bed and Liam decided to take pity on him.

He didn’t just go for it and pull down Niall’s boxers, he kept on kissing the younger’s stomach before moving a bit lower, pressing his lips against the fabric where Niall was already wet and like expected, it got the younger boy keening with anticipation. Liam had been with Omegas before, but this was so different somehow and he couldn’t even put his finger on what it was, he just knew it was a lot more special than anything else he had done before.

“Finally… “ Niall breathed out after Liam had pulled down his boxer shorts after all, feeling bad when he saw how painfully hard the younger boy had gotten, almost grabbing a hold of himself had Liam not stopped him with a hand around his wrist. “Liammm… please… it’s so bad, I need… something… anything….“

“Shhh, I know, I’m gonna take care of you, okay? Just let me.” Liam moved down further on his bed until he was face to face with Niall’s erection and the younger boy didn’t really have just a moment to prepare himself before Liam had his lips against his cock.

“ _Fuck_ … “ Niall moaned, moving so much that Liam had to keep his arm around his waist to keep him pinned on the bed, grabbing a hold of Niall’s erection with the other and jerking him off painfully slow while licking around the tip, tasting the pre cum. “Fuck… I love you so much… “

“Just ’cos I’m sucking you off?” Liam pulled off for a moment, kinda amused as he simply kept moving his fist up and down Niall’s cock, watching his body react to every single thing he did, every flick of his wrist, every touch of his lips and tongue against the sensitive skin. 

“N-No… I mean… yes, but- _shit_ , do that again… don’t stop… “ The younger boy was a freaking mess already and Liam hadn’t even fully taken him into his mouth yet and he really liked to believe it was just because he was so good at this and because Niall was so into him, but his heat was probably playing a major role in all of this. 

Liam decided to stop the talking then because Niall could barely speak a single word without moaning anyways and also, he had been teasing long enough. When he fully enveloped the younger’s hot erection into his mouth, it genuinely sounded like Niall was going to die, his hips thrusting up automatically and Liam would have probably gagged had he not been holding him down anyways as he slowly started to bob his head, keeping his hand wrapped around the base. 

“L-Liam… Li, ‘m gonna- gonna cum… “ Niall half choked out, seconds before cuming down Liam’s throat and had the older boy not wanted to swallow, it would have been way too late anyways. “Shit… that’s so- so fucking good…“

Because Niall was in heat, he was still hard after coming down from his first orgasm so Liam just kept going after pulling off for a moment to swallow, but at least the edge had been taken off of the younger boy and his fingers weren’t cramping in Liam’s hair anymore, brushing through almost gently instead. 

“We can just keep on doing this for the next two days.” Niall suddenly threw in, his breathing having stabilized compared to before and Liam had to pull off, not sure whether to laugh or take Niall seriously. “Please don’t stop, you’re so good at this.”

“Thank you so much, babe.” Liam let out a laugh before going back to sucking Niall off again, occasionally letting his hand dip down now to stroke his balls and it got the younger boy back to moaning and whining a whole lot quicker than Liam would have thought.

Just because he didn’t wanna have Niall coming yet again after just a few minutes, he just jerked him off for a while, kissing the inside of his thighs until Niall was starting to get impatient again, moving against Liam’s arm still holding him down, lightly pulling on his hair to get his head closer to his dick again. 

Liam himself was so fucking hard at this point that every time his hips moved against the sheets, he was honestly scared of just cuming in his boxer shorts, but he kept it together by simply focusing on Niall right now, taking in every sound coming out of his mouth, the younger boy whispering his name in pleasure whenever Liam did something he liked especially much. 

“Babe… c-can you… your fingers… “ Niall’s breathing had gotten panicky again and he didn’t need to say anything else for Liam to know what he meant.

Obviously the younger boy was in heat and what he really would have needed was to be knotted, but because Liam refused to let him have that right now, the only thing he could really give him for more relief were his fingers.

Though there was no need because Niall was an Omega, Liam still sucked his fingers into his mouth before moving them down closer to the younger’s hole, feeling his own heart speeding up a little as he pressed against Niall’s heated skin, fingertips dipping in with barely any pressure applied. Fuck. “You’re so wet… “

“Yeah… s-sorry, ‘m ruining your bed… “ It was clearly a joke, Niall laughed breathlessly which quickly turned into a moan though when Liam let two of his fingers slip inside of him, not moving them for a moment so they could both get used to it, the younger boy in particular.

Actually, Liam had no idea how far Niall had gone in terms of having sex with other people or maybe also masturbating, but it was obvious he was absolutely going crazy for having Liam’s fingers up his ass once the older boy started moving them, watching them thrusting in and out of Niall’s body, for a moment not thinking about anything except for how much he wanted them to go all the way right now. 

They didn’t, mostly because Niall came again the second Liam put his mouth back on his dick while still fingering him, moaning even more loudly this time, half of his jizz ending up on Liam’s face and chest and honestly, it was so fucking hot that Liam wasn’t quite sure how to keep on going without creaming himself. How exactly had they even managed to not do anything like this for so long?

“Fuuuck… “ Niall groaned after coming down from it, moving an arm across his sweaty face while Liam slowly pulled his fingers out of him, briefly cleaning his face before deciding that he didn’t actually care as he started kissing Niall’s thigh again, up to his hip bone to suck another bruise there as well because he loved how obvious they were against Niall’s skin. “I think… I think I’m done for a bit now.”

“Good because my tongue kinda hurts.” Liam joked, but there was a little bit of truth there as well and he felt breathless as he sat up.

“Thank you.” Niall told him, sounding so honest as if Liam had done him a real favor or something. 

“Why are you thanking me?” Seriously, they were dating and there was no greater pleasure for Liam than to make Niall feel this way.

The younger boy just shrugged though, reaching out for Liam until the older boy got the hint and went back to lying on top of him, Niall’s arms wrapping around his neck once more as they kissed, ignoring the mess between them. Fuck, Liam was so in love with this boy he could barely even take it, just lying here and snogging him after getting him off twice in a row and hearing him moan his name so many times… it was truly something.

“Think it’s your turn now…” The younger boy mumbled against Liam’s lips when they were running out of breath and Liam would have complained, but he let it happen when Niall gently pushed against his shoulder, letting himself fall onto his back while the younger boy moved with him, propping himself up on one elbow next to him. “Sorry for not warning you.”

“I didn’t mind.” Liam told him truthfully when Niall started rubbing his thumb somewhere over his face before letting it brush down his neck slowly and then his chest until Liam’s breath increased. “You don’t have to do anything if you d-“

“I want to though. I wanna make you feel good… like you made me… “ Niall was leaning closer now, whispering the last part into Liam’s ear before playfully biting into his earlobe, chuckling against his cheek and filling Liam’s stomach with warmth. They could still laugh and not be too serious during all this and that was probably Liam’s favorite part of it all.

Niall’s hand stroking all over his body came pretty close as well though. 

“Can I?” Niall asked once his hand had reached Liam’s boxer shorts and the older boy just nodded, biting his lip as he watched his boyfriend pulling his underwear down, just under his balls until his erection was finally free and Liam wrapped his arm a bit tighter around Niall, needing him as a support almost. “Fuck… “

“What?” Liam asked, not quite sure what that had been about, but probably nothing bad because Niall didn’t even hesitate before wrapping his hand around Liam’s cock, stroking him slowly and yet it was enough that Liam had to again force himself to hold back. 

“Just… I’ve never been with an Alpha before and I, uh… I had no idea, like… you know.” Right, Liam had almost forgotten about that, also, he had a really hard time concentrating on what Niall was saying while he was jerking him off, his hand feeling warm and a little rough at the same time. “Is it, um, is it uncomfortable when I touch-“

“No, it’s not… “ Liam told him immediately, just to make sure he knew that it was definitely NOT uncomfortable for him when Niall would touch the beginning swell of his knot, quite the opposite actually. “Fuck… “

Niall didn’t ask anything else anymore then, he just kept going and Liam could feel his eyes on him when he let his own fall closed, his free hand curling into the sheets as Niall quickened the pace of his hand, rubbing the palm of his hand across the tip once a while and it made Liam jerk each time without fail. He would have given anything right now to be inside the younger boy, thrust into him and hear him moan his name again, knotting him until Niall was full of his cum and- fuck, not a good idea to fully think that fantasy through.

Though Liam tried to hold back as best as somehow possible, he was still being pushed to the edge a lot more quicker than he would have liked. Niall was slightly inexperienced, but somehow that made it all better, his careful and messy movements across Liam’s dick and his knot, his unsteady breathing right next to Liam’s face and the way he would get less careful as time passed by, it was just too much for Liam to handle. 

“Baby… “ Liam whispered right before he was being pushed over the edge, Niall dragging his orgasm out by working him through it and his hand must have probably hurt by the time Liam finally stopped coming, his lunges screaming for air a he slowly came down from his high, ears ringing a bit. “Shit… “

“Was it any good?” Niall asked quietly, kissing at Liam’s cheek and then his mouth when Liam lazily turned his head, wanting the younger boy as close as somehow humanly possible. 

“More than good… “ Liam mumbled against Niall’s swollen lips, pulling him on top of him and the younger boy gave in easily. They should have probably cleaned this mess up between them, but neither of them seemed to bother so they just didn’t and instead kept on making out, slowly and softly and Liam never wanted this moment to pass. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Li… so much… “ The younger boy was talking so quietly that Liam almost couldn’t hear him because he was so eager to keep on kissing him and god knew Liam would have never rejected him, especially not now when Niall was being all soft and clingy and smelled so fucking good, wanting nothing more than to be close to Liam. Sure, he was in heat and everything, but that didn’t mean it influenced his feelings for Liam or anything and he was really cuddly and begging for kisses on a normal day to day basis, so this right here had nothing at all to do with what their bodies wanted them to do. 

Eventually, they both ran out of breath and were forced to take a break, Liam made sure to kick off his boxer shorts completely because they were getting uncomfortable the way they were, wrapping both arms around Niall as he lied down next to him but half on top of him, one of his legs moving in between Liam’s so they could be closer.

“This is probably not romantic at all, but… “ Niall started, which didn’t really sound like a good start to a conversation, but he was still rubbing his hand up and down Liam’s bare chest and stomach so the older boy couldn’t concentrate that well anyways. “I thought that, you know, because you’re an Alpha and everything and… your knot and… I thought you’d like… I thought it’d be more.”

“Are you disappointed with the amount of cum?” Liam couldn’t help but let out a loud laugh because this had truly been unexpected and he just knew that Niall’s cheeks were bright red right now without even being able to look at him. 

“I’m not disappointed, it’s just not what I expected, okay? Stop laughing, Li.” Niall playfully and softly hit his chest but Liam only held him tighter, still chuckling as he pressed a kiss onto the younger’s head. 

“It’s because my body knows I’m not actually knotting somebody, so it’s like… normal amount.” Liam explained, making it sound as normal as somehow possible because he knew the topic was embarrassing Niall for some reason. It seemed to get a lot better though lately. 

“Oh… so if we like… I mean, when we have sex at some point… it’d be more?” He asked as if he was truly interested in hearing the answer and though Liam wasn’t sure if maybe it’d scare him off, he told him the truth of course.

“Yeah… and also, like, I don’t know if you know this or not but when we do have sex, it won’t go down as quickly, so… “ Just to make sure Niall knew because it’d probably ruin the mood if they only talked about these kinda things shortly before they’d have sex.

“Yeah, I knew that… I did google stuff, but I felt really weird at some point so I only looked up the basics. And, uh, I learned all that stuff in school at some point, I guess, I just tried to forget about it back then because I was a child, so… anyways, yeah, whatever.” Niall ended the conversation a bit awkwardly, but he was just so fucking cute that Liam couldn’t help but smile, burying his face in the younger’s hair. 

They stayed like this for a while, just cuddling and enjoying each other’s company, talking a bit about random stuff but also some sex related things and eventually, Liam could tell that Niall’s heat was making him shift a bit more than usual, so he made sure to take care of him again. Of course it would have all been more bearable for Niall had Liam knotted him a few times, but Niall made sure to tell him that this was already so much better than before when he had just had his own hand to take care of it, so Liam was slightly relieved. He still felt a bit guilty though. 

Nobody came home for quite a while so they actually went showering together and Niall insisted on sucking Liam off, but there wasn’t a lot of space and the younger’s knees were hurting and Liam ended up having the messiest orgasm ever, but it was all good. They were probably laughing more than anything else and to Liam, that was the most important part, the fact that they were best friends first before they were lovers. Had he known things would be this way, he would have never been afraid or nervous for any of it to happen. 

“You know, I was wondering something… “ Niall started once they had gotten cleaned up and were dressed again and back in Liam’s room. Liam had changed the sheets and put the other ones into the washing machine after Niall had told him a bit panicky that he was afraid his mother would find out otherwise. 

“Yeah?” Liam asked, leaving his eyes closed though because lying with his head in Niall’s lap while the younger boy was playing with his hair was probably the most comfortable he had ever been. Okay, maybe slightly exaggerated, but it was definitely up there. 

“So, like… just in general… when an Alpha and an Omega bond… like, the biting really does happen, right? Like with blood?” Well, not at all what Liam had expected to be asked right now, but he didn’t mind it, mostly because he had as little experience with it as Niall. He knew what Niall had talked about with his mother, about his father who had been bonded with another woman and they had talked about waiting with it all, but clearly Niall was curious about a lot of things today.

“Yeah, it does… I don’t think it hurts though, like, not really, because usually you’re distracted with other things while you do it, so… I hope it doesn’t hurt.” He really did, because he wouldn’t wanna hurt Niall like that if it could somehow be avoided. “Are you scared?”

“Hm, no, I don’t know. I mean, it’s not like we’ll do it anytime soon or so… maybe I’ll ask somebody about it, or I’ll google it, but… if it hurt that much I don’t think most Omegas would wanna go through with it.” True, but also, there were probably a lot of them who were terrified of it and Liam really did not want Niall to be one of them. “Are you?”

“I don’t know, I don’t necessarily like the idea of biting you and drawing blood, it seems a bit… inhumane. But I guess so are a lot of other things.” The knotting especially, but Liam spared Niall having to talk about that again and getting all blushed and bothered once more when they were so comfortable right now. “How are you feeling?”

“Alright, like, I could go again but it’s not urgent or anything and it doesn’t hurt, so I’m fine. It’s a lot better than usually thanks to you.” Well, Liam’s presence alone was making it harder than it would have been otherwise, but it was clear Niall didn’t want him to leave and honestly, Liam was pretty sure he would have suffered physically had he had to separate from the younger boy right now. “I’m just glad now I went into heat today and not like, a week too late when we’re on that trip.”

“Yeah, that’s true… I mean, we would have been able to handle it though and they got us a room together now, so it would have been fine. But probably really uncomfortable and they would have noticed.” Niall’s mother especially though she had calmed down about all this and wasn’t that much in their faces about it anymore. 

“My mother would have been fucking terrible about it… actually, speaking about her, we gotta make sure we get your sheets out of the drier before she sees them.” Right, that story about her telling Niall to wash them separately in case they had sex, Niall had told Liam that sounding completely shocked and Liam hadn’t been able to stop laughing for minutes afterwards, mostly because of the younger’s face though. 

“I don’t think she thinks we’re lying in bed together with a meter of distance between us.” Clearly not, if she had been this keen on talking about it with Niall. 

“Doesn’t mean we need to give her any more reasons to wanna mention it to me and to all her friends.” Niall sounded a bit upset now and Liam tried not to grin while the younger boy was still running his fingers through his hair. 

“She’s just excited you have such a good looking boyfriend.” Liam couldn’t help the joke and it just made Niall snort. “What? You don’t think I’m good looking?”

“You know how you look, Liam.” Was all Niall told him, suddenly leaning forward to press his lips against Liam’s forehead from above, something he had never done before really and it gave Liam a few too many goosebumps. “You know when we first met, like, officially, in here, I went outside to text Louis that you are the one who I kissed at that party and for a while I think he actually thought I had made it all up because he said you’re way too good looking to be randomly snogging me at a party. Just like he didn’t believe that we are dating.”

“That’s bullshit, you know that.” Truly, this was the one thing Liam really felt like he would start a fight with Louis for, the fact that he seemed to be repeatedly telling Niall Liam was too good for him when it was actually the complete other way around. 

“I was just surprised it didn’t bother Harry that he was talking about you all the time… but I think he was just trying to tease me and he didn’t actually care. Although… he did stalk you on Instagram as well.” Right, that had been the funniest thing ever, Liam still remembered how confused he had been about Louis liking all his pictures and then finding out that he was Niall’s friend. 

“I stalked you as well, on every social media.” Niall knew that already, but Liam just felt like telling him again. 

“Yeah, but I was also some stranger moving into your house into the room next to yours, I could have been some weird creep or something.” The younger boy had now gone over to just brushing Liam’s hair back, just stroking it kind of and honestly, Liam could have fallen asleep like this had they stopped talking. 

“I still thought you were really cute, so I kept stalking you.” It wasn’t a lie, not at all actually, even if Liam knew that Niall was rolling his eyes right now. “It’s true, babe, whether you believe me or not. Also-“

Liam was interrupted by his phone going off and almost immediately, he knew that they were both terrified as he fumbled it out of his pockets, the younger boy sounding quite breathless as he asked. “Who, uh, who is it?”

“My boss” Liam started, before realizing that this was probably freaking Niall out so he made sure to continue, relief spreading through him. “My other one. It’s my agency, they probably wanna talk about the photoshoot today.”

“Well, screw them, it’s 8 at night and your boyfriend needs your full attention.” Niall sounded equally relieved, also maybe a bit over eager but it just made Liam laugh anyways when the younger boy kinda hugged him around his neck as far as possible, leaning forward to press his forehead right against Liam’s. “Let’s talk more about how you thought I was really cute instead.”

“I still think you’re cute, baby.” Maybe this phone call was somewhat important, Liam didn’t know, but Niall was right about it being 8 in the evening anyways so he just let his phone drop somewhere between the sheets after blindly ending the call, not really in the mood for it. They would call back or send him a text message, it was really whatever. “And I don’t just think that, it’s true.”

“No one’s ever called me that before you though.” Niall leaned back again after a moment, looking down at Liam and actually sounding quite serious about it too. 

“Well, that’s a good thing because I don’t want anybody else to tell you that anyways.” Liam was aware how this sounded but it was also kinda true and before Niall could have gotten too blushed about it, the older boy had reached up to cup his cheek, pulling the younger’s head down so that they could kiss. 

Somehow Liam was now really happy that Niall had gone into heat, like, he wouldn’t have thought it could be this way, that Niall would be fine again for a while after the edge had been taken off and that actually, they hadn’t done anything in the heat of the moment or because they had felt like they had to. Still, Liam was quite okay with how far they had gone and that they hadn’t gone all the way because he still wanted to save that for another time.

 

\----------------------------

 

Niall’s heat went by a lot quicker now that he had Liam helping him out and though that also meant they spent even more time in one of their rooms, at least his mother had stopped trying to interrupt them all the time. She didn’t comment the sheets in the drier either, so Niall was really happy about that, even though he still saw her looking at them with that smile on her face once a while, which he had stopped minding though. 

They went on another double date with Harry and Louis in the following two weeks and Liam had to go to 2 more fights, which both ended well for him but still kept Niall up half the night, terrified and worried as hell. Neither of them was looking forward to going on a trip with their parents, mostly because Liam would have to leave almost right after that to be away for a whole week and Niall had no fucking clue how to handle that, so naturally, he also didn’t talk about it with Liam and just suffered in silence. 

“Baby… time to wake up.” Liam’s voice was quiet and soft and it were actually his kisses against Niall’s face that woke the younger boy, not quite sure yet whether it was a dream or not. 

“Hmm… ‘m… sleep… “ Niall mumbled, not quite sure if Liam understood him or not, but he also didn’t care, just tried to pull the blanket up a bit higher because it was cold. He had gone to sleep without any clothes because they had kinda tried to make use of the last night in this house since they still had no idea where their parents were actually taking them. They still hadn’t had sex yet, and Niall had stopped asking about it because he didn’t wanna be pushy and he knew Liam wanted to wait, so that’s what they did, but there were plenty of other things to do anyways. 

“I know you are, love, but everyone’s already waiting for us… ‘m sorry.” Liam’s hand had somehow ended up underneath the blanket, rubbing Niall’s back slowly, probably not realizing that he was almost putting him back to sleep with that. “I already brought all your stuff to the car, okay? You just gotta get dressed and get your phone and then you can go back to sleep in the car.”

“’m so tired… “ The younger boy couldn’t help but whine, having a really hard time trying to wake up, even more than usually and especially with Liam stroking his skin and kissing his cheek and temple. “How late is it?”

“4 in the morning.” Liam told him and Niall actually wanted to die even though he had known they’d have to get up this early. “I’ll get your clothes, okay? Don’t fall back asleep.”

Though Liam only briefly got up off the bed and didn’t even have to leave the room, Niall did pass out again for a second or so, only to wake up again when Liam kissed him again. He was so sweet, he had gotten up earlier just so Niall could sleep for a bit longer and he had even turned off the main lights before waking him and Niall truly did not deserve him.

Just for Liam, the younger boy tried to pull himself together for a moment, still allowing Liam to help him getting dressed though. In the end, they were probably really fucking late and Niall almost forgot his phone after using the bathroom real quick, but Liam remembered it luckily. Just like everything else, pretty much. 

“I was about to come upstairs, I thought you didn’t manage to wake him after all.” Niall’s mother commented once they had made their way out of the house. It was really dark and cold and Niall kept clinging to Liam because he was warm and also because he was way too tired to be walking on his own without stumbling right now. 

Liam probably said something, but Niall had to yawn so he wasn’t really listening as they walked towards the car, Liam’s father already having started the engine, probably hating Niall right now. Whatever though, it was four in the morning, what the hell did he expect?! Also, it was a Saturday, so really, it wasn’t Niall’s fault that he was completely exhausted, especially because he had had to work during the week just so he could have the weekend off.

“Okay, are you still cold?” Liam asked after making sure Niall had his seatbelt on before getting on his own and the younger boy just shook his head, really happy though when Liam still put his jumper over him as he leaned his head against the window because his boyfriend’s shoulder was a bit too far away. “Go back to sleep, love, I’ll wake you when we’re there.”

“’mkay...” Was all Niall brought out, eyes already having dropped closed again, but he made sure to search for Liam’s hand blindly, the older boy luckily immediately figuring out what he wanted as he intertwined their fingers, bringing them to his lips so that he could kiss Niall’s hand right before the younger boy slept in again.

It was a terrible drive to the airport, there was traffic and Liam’s father turned on the radio and Niall woke up every few seconds, or that’s what it felt like at least. Also, his head was kinda bumping against the window a bit too much and his neck was starting to hurt, so like the angel he was, Liam moved to sit in the middle of the back seat after a while just so Niall could sleep on his shoulder instead, which Niall’s mother seemed to think was absolutely hilarious. Not that Niall really cared anymore, he just wanted to sleep, nothing else. 

This wasn’t the first time Niall would be on a plane, but it had been a while and honestly, he was a little bit nervous, so maybe it was a good thing that he was so damn sleep deprived when they finally arrived. Or maybe not finally, because he could have needed another few hours of sleep, or a week, preferably. 

“How are you feeling?” Liam sounded slightly worried when he asked, having offered to carry Niall’s backpack for him, but it was pretty light anyways because they’d only be staying for a few days, so the younger boy had declined.

“Tired. Like I haven’t slept in years. Or ever.” Niall told him, suppressing another yawn as he held on more tightly to Liam’s hand as they followed their parents across the parking garage. Honestly, Niall didn’t even wanna know how much money Liam’s father was spending on this whole trip because he had paid for everything without telling them one bit of information. Pretty sure though that it was only Niall’s mother who actually cared about this secret keeping business, but either way, it was driving Niall insane at this point. “I’m kinda nervous about the flight.”

“Don’t be, I’m sure it’ll be fine and I don’t think it’s gonna be too long, okay? Just try and sleep once we’re on the plane and then it’ll be over really quick.” They didn’t know where they’d be going, so Niall could tell that Liam was a bit nervous about promising all that, but Niall wouldn’t have held it against him otherwise anyways, he was just trying to make him feel better after all. “Your mom’s gotta tell us where we’re going in a bit anyways.”

“Knowing her she might even request we cover our ears and put on blindfolds or something. I don’t even know why she’s still trying to keep it a secret, there’s literally no point and we’re not 7 years old.” Niall couldn’t help that he was slightly upset, it wasn’t about his mother actually, just that he was tired as hell and also that he only had a few more days with Liam before he’d be gone for a whole week. And who knew how he’d come back… or if. 

“She’s just excited I think, let’s just try and pretend we are too, okay?” Liam was smiling at him, so Niall attempted to return it, momentarily leaning his head against Liam’s shoulder once more while they were walking. 

All this stuff was a bit too stressful for Niall this early in the morning, he had another mini heart attack going through security even though he had made Liam check his bag 10 times anyways and nothing even happened. At least Niall was slightly awake by the time they had all made it through and Niall’s mother was finally ready to at least tell them the location after keeping it a secret for what had felt like a year to Niall. 

“Why Scotland?” Niall had expected something else, also, that meant they were definitely not going on a yacht, which was a bit sad, but it’s not like it really mattered.

“You’ll see when we’re there, honey.” Niall’s mother told him, rolling her eyes at him when he threw an unsure look at her. “Oh god, you really need to stop being so dramatic all the time, Niall. Thank god Liam’s sitting next to you on that plane and not me.” 

“Liam loves sitting next to me.” Niall told her without even really thinking about it and he could tell his boyfriend was holding back his laughter next to him right now but whatever. “I’m not even being dramatic, I’m just really tired, sorry.”

“Well, you won’t have much time to sleep on the plane, the flight is only about one and a half hours.” Amazing. “But we have a pretty long car drive after that.” 

“If I even survive the flight.” Niall threw in, at the same time though already wanting to cry again just thinking about all the travelling they still had to do today and it was really early in the morning still and anyways, everything was kinda a bit shit right now.

Niall tried to pull himself together though, for everybody’s sake, and Liam bought him some snacks while he went to the bathroom, so that definitely lightened his mood a little bit, even if not dramatically because he was being a baby yet again. For some reason Louis was up before they were boarding the plane so Niall told him where they were going and the other boy immediately requested a post card and other stuff and Niall really regretted ever telling him.

“He would have wanted something no matter where we’re going.” Liam was right, but that didn’t mean Niall couldn’t be annoyed about it. “You could just tell him there’s no time for us to go anywhere.”

“Do you think there really is no time to go anywhere?” Niall was slightly panicked when he asked, he hadn’t really thought this through all too much beforehand, it was only now that they were sitting at the gate waiting and their parents had gone to buy something that Niall suddenly got really worried. “What if we’re like, in the middle of absolutely nowhere and we gotta play board games the whole entire time?”

“It’s only two nights, Nialler. And I highly doubt it because that wouldn’t be something my dad would wanna do. I’m sorry that it’s no yacht by the way, I know you were really hoping for that.” Liam laughed, squeezing Niall with the arm he had around his shoulders when the younger boy rolled his eyes. “I’m sure it’ll still be something unexpected.”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying, somewhere in the middle of nowhere away from any civilization would be really unexpected.” Not that Niall would have cared too much, it was just because he literally only had 3 more nights with Liam before the older boy would be off and he kinda wanted to be alone with him as much as possible. The worst part about all this was that nobody was allowed to know where Liam really went, everybody thought he was doing it for a few modelling jobs, so there was no one Niall could talk to about how bloody terrified he was. 

“It won’t be like that, babe, I can promise you that. And even if it were, we won’t play board games the entire time, don’t worry. We’ll get time for ourselves.” Liam must have at least had an idea about why Niall was so worried because his voice had gotten a lot softer when he pressed a kiss against the younger’s head and Niall leaned against his shoulder once more, deciding to ignore Louis’ text message for now. 

Niall didn’t know if it had been on purpose or not, but he didn’t really care that Liam’s dad had put them in a row 10 rows behind him and Niall’s mother. It had probably been automatic or something, or maybe so that they could talk about where they were going without Niall and Liam hearing anything because they were still keeping up this secret thing. 

Niall was doing alright before the plane was taking off, Liam let him have the seat by the window and he was holding his hand and distracting him by talking nonstop, so the younger boy’s anxiety and nervousness was slowly wearing off. He was still a little worried, but Liam was with him so it was all good and he knew he had to treasure every moment he had with him because there were only so few days left.

It's not like he would be away for very long, but the thing was, they had seen each other every single day since Niall had moved into that house and also, Niall hadn’t slept alone in weeks, so not having Liam there for so long would be fucking terrible, but also having to worry about him at the same time would be the fucking worst. 

Liam had gotten Niall some gum so his ears wouldn’t pop like the perfect boyfriend he was and even though Niall wouldn’t have been unhappy about some more distraction, he also couldn’t get mad at Liam for being the one who ended up falling asleep on the younger’s shoulders in the end. He must have been so damn tired from getting up a lot earlier than Niall, so the younger boy just hoped that he would get a more relaxing sleep than he had had in the car, trying not to move too much so he wouldn’t wake him on accident. 

Pretty sure that those few days would be just them being on top of each other as much as possible and Niall enjoying the hell out of it, but at the same time he wasn’t sure how he’d be able to still ignore Liam’s trip the closer it was getting.

 

\-----------------------

 

“Is this… for real?” Niall was clearly even more stunned than Liam once their parents had finally revealed where they were going and where their wedding would be and though Liam had known his dad would pick something extravagant, he was still surprised. “You wanna get married in a _castle?!_ ”

“Isn’t it the most amazing thing you’ve ever seen?” Niall’s mother was so excited and Liam was genuinely happy for her and his dad, but he also suddenly realized that he must have underestimated his father’s income by quite a bit. They never talked about these kinda things, or never really talked in general, so maybe he shouldn’t have been so surprised, but like… a whole castle?!

“I mean… yes? I just… I can’t believe it.” The younger boy was at a loss of words and Liam felt quite the same even though they weren’t even there yet, his mother had simply shown them a picture so far, after they had been on a bus for a while, with a private driver and everything. “But isn’t that already really expensive just for the wedding and we’re just spending two nights there for no reason?”

“Don’t worry about that.” It was Liam’s dad who answered, seemingly not at all worried about any expenses anymore and Liam didn’t say anything because he honestly had no idea what. Well, at least that meant he and Niall would get plenty of time for themselves, which they could really need before Liam would have to go on that fucking trip that he already hated himself for more than ever. 

Leaving Niall at home to worry about him for a whole week was literally the worst thing Liam could have done to him and yet the older boy had no choice or solution for this mess, all they could really do now was hoping it’d go over quick. And also that Liam wouldn’t get hurt, and if he did, that it’d heal until he was back home again. 

“We have to make sure it’s the right location, we just thought we’d bring you boys along as well so we could have more opinions.” Niall’s mother explained even though it seemed as if they had made the decision already anyways. Not that Liam really minded that, he was pretty sure even Niall was suddenly really happy that they had been asked to come along. 

Liam wondered whether his mother already knew about this, because somehow all he could now think about was how excited his sisters would have been to be in a real castle and everything and once this was all confirmed, he had to definitely convince his mother to bring them along even if it’d end with him and Niall having to babysit the whole time. 

The landscapes they were driving through were pretty impressive on their own already, but once they got to the actual castle, Liam had quickly forgotten about all of that and his tiredness along with it. Compared to this, a yacht was kinda really boring and mainstream.

“This is insane. They’ve lost their minds.” Niall whispered to him once they had gotten out of the bus and Liam laughed a bit breathlessly as he pulled the younger boy in closer, trying to take all of this in even though it kinda felt like a dream. “What if it’s haunted?”

“What?” Liam couldn’t help but be amused by that question although the younger boy seemed to have been pretty damn serious when he had asked. 

“I’m just kidding.” Niall tried to laugh it off for a second, throwing another look up the massive walls before wrapping his arms around Liam’s waist. “… but what if it is?”

“I’ll protect you, baby, don’t worry about it. I didn’t know you believe in ghosts.” Usually he just believed somebody was trying to break into their house, but only after they had watched a thriller, which Liam was trying to avoid most of the time, but Louis surely wasn’t whenever he asked them on double dates. 

“I don’t.” Niall told him immediately, holding on pretty tightly to Liam though. “Or maybe I do, just in case any ghosts heard me. But if they did it’s already too late anyways and they’d know I’m scared now.”

“Babe, there are no ghosts, I promise. At least not in there.” Liam petted the younger’s shoulder in a hopefully soothing way, watching as their parents had now walked up all the way to the massive entrance where they were being greated by a woman. She probably thought they were really stuck up snobs or something to be randomly renting a castle to stay in for two nights just to see how it is and Liam had to admit that it seemed a bit much even to him and after knowing his father all his life. He must have really been in love with Niall’s mother to be doing this. “We should probably go and say hi as well.” 

“Yeah… are you sure about the ghost thing?” Niall seemed really concerned with that, his hand so tightly in Liam’s as they were walking that it almost hurt a bit. 

So that’s what Liam did for the next hour or so, reassuring the younger boy that the castle wasn’t haunted while they were being taken on a tour through it and he had to admit that the inside was definitely getting scarier as they moved on. Also, it didn’t really help that the woman showing them around was listing all the people who had died in here hundreds of years ago, which seemed like a pretty bad idea considering that she had customers who wanted to get married in here, but Niall’s mother kept on asking and asking, so there was that. 

“We’re gonna die. I don’t wanna die yet, Li, I’m too young.” Niall was absolutely freaked out, immediately going to hug Liam the moment they were alone in one of the probably 30 bedrooms or something. Why exactly had their parents talked about the rooms they’d be getting when there were so many to choose from?

“Ni, we’re not gonna die, okay? There are no ghosts and that woman was just hyping up the stories because your mother kept asking, she probably made half that stuff up.” Probably not, but Niall didn’t have to know that, did he? “We’ll lock that door at night and I swear to you, nothing is going to happen to you. I’m here, okay?”

“That’s not gonna help once you’ve been possessed by some demon.” Okay, maybe Liam wasn’t too happy about coming here anymore. “We probably don’t even have any cell signal here to call for help.”

“I’m sure we do.” Liam told the younger boy, but he wasn’t actually sure so he momentarily let go of Niall with one arm to reach his jeans pocket and check his phone over Niall’s shoulder only to find out two things.

One, they did have cell signal and two, Niall’s fear of ghosts was suddenly their smallest problem.

 

_Z 13:39  
The new guy talked, sorry I wasn’t there to stop him, just heard it from someone else. I don’t know who knows though._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys :) i hope you all had a great week!!! i kinda wrote this chapter in a few hours because i forgot about a trip with my family so i was a bit stressed out but i made it so thats all that matters haha!
> 
> i hope you all enjoyed this chapter, i know the last one wasnt too exciting and more like a filler! im trying my best to make every chapter somewhat exciting but it doesnt always happen sadly! also about the castle in scotland wedding thing, i got that idea from some movie with patrick dempsey in it but i forgot what its called because ive only seen it once and that was ages ago and ive never actually been to scotland so im trying not to go into too much detail haha
> 
> anyways, let me know what you thought if you want or if you just wanna chat thats fine too! im starting my internship next week and im actually terrified of it so i hope you will all have a better week (or month actually) than me :p 
> 
> <3


	16. Chapter 16

“What are you doing?“ Liam must have been looking at his phone longer than he had thought when Niall commented on it, probably noticing that Liam had let go of him with one arm.

“Um, just checking my phone if I got signal and I do, so we’re good.” Well, actually, they weren’t good at all and Liam could literally feel his stomach turning, not able to grasp a clear thought right now. Should he have told Niall immediately? When he didn’t even know yet who knew about them and whether there even was a reason to freak out? 

“We’re not good at all, even if we were able to call someone they wouldn’t come because we’re like 400 miles away from any civilization. We’re gonna die.” Slightly exaggerated, but it was true that they were pretty much in the middle of nowhere, which Liam didn’t care about though and he might have been amused by Niall’s irrational fear of ghosts, but this text message was making it impossible for him to feel anything besides shock and worry. “I wouldn’t even find the way outside from here.”

“I would though, so it’s all good, okay? I’m not gonna leave you alone at any point.” Liam finally put his phone away without answering because there was no point, going back to hugging his boyfriend again, more tightly this time, pressing his face into the younger’s hair as he closed his eyes. It didn’t have to mean anything, like, maybe the new guy had just told people who would keep their mouths shut, right? Maybe he had only told one person who had then told Zayn, there was no need to immediately lose it. “Are you really that afraid of ghosts?”

“Don’t say it out loud.” Niall half whispered and this time, Liam did feel the corners of his mouth twitch a little, trying to pull back so he could look at Niall but the younger boy just kept holding onto him. Maybe the only good thing about this was that Niall was distracted by something else now, maybe he’d manage to forget how soon Liam would have to leave him alone.

It only really occurred to Liam now after a few moments of them just holding each other, that he would be leaving Niall here without anybody to protect him when he didn’t know who knew about them. His boss would be going with them, so that was at least a relief, but Liam definitely needed to talk to Zayn about this, find out what he knew and take precautions if necessary. Fuck, worst timing ever. 

“Can I let you go for a moment?” Liam asked after minutes must have passed by and Niall did loosen his arms, looking at him with so much fear in his eyes though that the older boy immediately felt terrible about it. “Baby, it’s all good, I promise. It’s still the middle of the day.”

“I just don’t like it here.” Niall told him, not turning his head though when Liam leaned in to kiss his forehead, and then his nose and his lips, not really knowing what else to do to make him feel better. “I should tell my mom, maybe they’re gonna rethink the location.”

“To a different castle?” Liam joked, pulling Niall with him as he walked over to the window to fully pull back the curtains, the younger boy clinging to him even more than he did whenever they watched a remotely scary movie. 

“Yeah, I don’t know, anywhere is better than here. And we don’t even know yet whether it’s haunted or not but it sure as hell looks like it. At least now I got a good excuse why I can’t write Louis a postcard.” Niall shrugged, both hands wrapped around Liam’s, standing so close that they were touching pretty much everywhere. 

“What excuse?” Liam was trying really hard to just focus on Niall and their conversation and nothing else, sorting out the younger’s hair and stroking his face until Niall leaned closer again, shrugging.

“I’m gonna be dead.” He joked, but it still made Liam roll his eyes as he suppressed a sigh, slowly pulling his hand out of Niall’s grip so that he could hug him close again instead. It wasn’t fair to keep this text message from Niall, Liam was very well aware of it and also that he was making it worse with every minute passing by, but he really just wanted to protect the younger boy.

Then again, he had sworn to himself and also to Niall that he was done with the secrets and the lying, so Liam gave himself a push, squeezing the younger boy tightly before forcing himself to speak up.

“Can we talk about something?” He started without really planning to, his heart already aching as he imagined Niall’s face upon telling him.

“Uh, yeah, about what?” Niall seemed really confused, obviously, and Liam swallowed, kinda not wanting to let go so that the younger boy couldn’t see his face. 

“Ummm… “ Liam started before simply getting his phone out of his jeans pocket, the message still displayed on the lock screen anyways so he just gave it to Niall, only half hugging him at this point. “Zayn sent me this message.”

“What?” Niall’s arm got weak around Liam’s waist as he took the phone with his free hand, only needing a second to read through it before he was pulling back, staring up at the older boy as if he had just seen a ghost for real. “Fuck, oh my god, does that mean- what’s gonna happen now?! Who did he tell?!” 

“I don’t know, babe, I don’t think Zayn knows either, I haven’t texted back yet obviously, but, uh… it could very well be that it’s no big deal at all, maybe he only told one other person and-“

“But what if he told everyone? What if he told your boss?” Niall’s face was paler than a sheet now and though Liam really hated seeing him like that, he also knew that he would have had to tell him, it wouldn’t have been fair otherwise.

“I don’t think he did, he’s new, so he doesn’t really know anybody that well yet, maybe he just said it without really thinking about it. I mean, Zayn did tell him to keep quiet about it, but… I’m gonna ask him later if he can do anything about it and find out more.” The problem was though, if Zayn kept on asking around he might have told other people by accident and also, everyone would sooner or later realize that it had been supposed to be a secret and then all hell would break loose anyways. 

“Ask him now.” Niall’s fingers were curled in Liam’s shirt, seemingly unwilling to ever let go of him ever again.

“Okay, one second.” Liam only had one hand to text back because his other arm was wrapped around his boyfriend and he probably sent the message with a few errors but it was really whatever at this point because something in the pit of his stomach told him that he was already screwed anyways. 

“Now I’m really gonna die.” When Niall said it, his laugh was completely humorless and he seemed to regret it the moment Liam looked at him, but it was already out and he had said and Liam truly hated himself for making him think these things. Niall was his boyfriend, he was pretty much his everything and the very last person on this entire planet Liam would have wanted to hurt in any way and yet here he bloody was. 

“Even if everybody found out about it, doesn’t mean anything, okay? When I said I wanted to be careful and not have anybody there find out I was just being on the safe side, nothing else. Nothing is going to happen.” Most likely, but definitely not if Liam made sure of it, he just had to do as he was told and then everything would be fine. 

“But you said they even waited for your dad after work once.” Right, it hadn’t been wise to tell Niall about that, but Liam couldn’t have just lied. 

“That was one time and I’m not actually sure if it really happened, like, he probably only said it to scare me and- nothing will happen to you, Nialler, I promise, I’ll always protect you, okay? No matter what, you’re gonna be safe, that’s a promise.” And Liam didn’t intend on breaking it, ever. “You mean the entire world to me and if anybody tried to hurt you or do anything at all, I’m gonna kill them. They’ll know not to mess with me about this, especially if I tell them we’re bonded, they wouldn’t even dare to think about it.”

“But we’re not.” Niall threw in, still freaked out and not at all calmed down, so Liam made sure to hug him close again in a poor attempt to make up for his own stupidity. 

“No one has to know that. Let’s just see what Zayn says, okay? I’m sure it’s not even half as bad as we think, like, we’re talking worst case scenario here, and even that wouldn’t be as bad, I promise. Everything is fine.” Plus, everyone was really busy because of this trip in a few days, which sucked but was a blessing in this case. “I’m sorry.”

“For what? It’s not your fault.” Niall shrugged a bit against him, his face buried against Liam’s neck, giving the older boy goosebumps whenever he breathed out. 

“I still wish things were different and I know that I’m putting you through a lot of shit, like, stuff you wouldn’t have to ever put up with if you were dating someb-“

“But I don’t wanna date anybody else. I want you.” This had been kinda unexpected though Liam had known of course, but having Niall interrupt him just to say that made his stomach grow warmer. “And it’s not your fault, I know you can’t change anything about it, I just… I’m just worried.”

“I know… that’s what I’m sorry for. I don’t want you to worry about me but even more, I don’t want you having to worry about your own safety just because of a stupid mistake I made when I was a teenager.” Truly, Liam should have never said yes to his boss back then, but there was no point in dwelling on that or wishing it hadn’t happened because it HAD and he couldn’t turn back time and make it undone. 

“I knew about it before we started dating, so you don’t have to worry about it. I’d never hold it against you or anything and I’m sorry for freaking out about it all the time, I really wish I could somehow help or… or do something, and I know I can’t and I hate it, but it’d never be a reason for me to be mad at you.” Maybe that made things even worse, the fact that Niall was so understanding after freaking out about it because Liam surely did not deserve that. He didn’t deserve Niall in general, but everybody already knew that anyways. “Let’s just see what Zayn says.”

“Yeah… that’s probably best.” Liam agreed, kinda relieved but also not really because he was anxious to know what was going on and he was worried Zayn wouldn’t be able to tell him any more than he already had. 

“At least I forgot about the ghosts for a few minutes.” Niall said finally after they had been hugging for a bit longer, probably trying to lighten the mood but Liam could tell he was still slightly afraid. Great, and he had just added onto the fact that the younger boy was feeling bad already. “I know you don’t believe in that stuff, but I genuinely think ghosts exist.”

“Maybe, I’ve just never had an experience like that and-“

“Don’t say that, you’re tempting them.” The younger boy was whispering again and Liam couldn’t tell whether he was joking or not, but he made sure to hold him tighter just in case, burying his face in Niall’s hair again and closing his eyes in a poor attempt to feel somewhat better himself by focusing on nothing else besides his boyfriend.

“Sorry.” Liam whispered back, finding himself smiling a little though when Niall told him that it was alright before slipping his arms underneath Liam’s shirt while still hugging him. “I love you.”

“I love you, too, Li.” Niall told him without hesitation, his voice firm and Liam would never be able to actually believe that he deserved this boy.

Things were pretty damn shit right now if Liam was being completely honest with himself and all of it was his own fault, but he would try his very hardest to change this situation for the better somehow, he just had to. For Niall.

 

\---------------------

 

“I think I’m gonna be sick from the food.” Niall did feel a little sick, but probably because he had eaten way too much and not because it had been poisoned. How had he been supposed to know though that their parents would convince them to go on a nightly walk through the gardens after eating, that was just complete madness. They were literally _begging_ to end up in a horror movie.

“You ate for like 3 people.” Liam told him, sounding slightly worried and not as if he was teasing Niall at all, but the younger boy still rolled his eyes, which his boyfriend couldn’t see anyways because it was kinda dark and everything was just poorly lit outside. This was definitely in the top ten creepiest things Niall had experienced ever. 

“So? We didn’t eat all day and the food on the plane was shit. Maybe there was something wrong with the food, I mean, who even made it? I didn’t see a cook or anything.” To be fair, a lot of people seemed to work there, but they never failed to scare the living crap out of Niall whenever he saw somebody unexpectedly walking around a corner. 

Hours had passed since they had arrived and since Liam had shown him that text message and Zayn had replied a while after, simply telling Liam that he didn’t know anything else, just like expected, but that he would tell him if he found out something else. So like always, they couldn’t do anything except wait and hope and most likely be disappointed in the end. This time though, Niall truly wasn’t sure how he would handle Liam being so bloody far away and at the same time being scared for both their lives, like… he knew Liam hated this just as much as him and that he would have never let anything happen to Niall, but how would he protect him if he was away? If he should have been protecting himself first?

“Maybe a ghost cook made it.” Liam joked, laughing way too much when Niall playfully pushed him, not letting the younger boy get away though when he tried. “Sorry, sorry, that was mean, I didn’t mean it. I’m sure there’s a cook and that you just ate a bit much, okay? You didn’t get any sort of poisoning, I promise, we all ate the same things.”

“Maybe I’m allergic.” Niall threw in, at the same time busy throwing a few glances over his shoulder every once in a while to make sure nobody was following them and also that they didn’t get lost. Not that that would have been possible because the gardens were huge, but like… the castle was obviously a ton bigger and there were lights on behind multiple windows. Kinda creepy as well.

“Maybe, but I highly doubt it.” The older boy told him after a moment of actually considering it or at least pretending to, suddenly stopping them both. “Wait.”

“What? Did you see something?” Niall’s heart immediately sped up as he scanned the darkness, but he only saw their parents walking way ahead of them, so far away by now that there was no way they could have even heard them still. 

“I think I saw a shooting star.” Oh, that had been unexpected and Niall momentarily forgot about his fear in favor of scanning the sky as well. It was definitely pretty out here, he had to admit that at least, pretty but also a little creepy. Or a lot, but Liam’s presence made it a whole lot better. “Maybe I imagined it.”

“I’ve never seen one before. Have you?” Honestly, Niall may have sort of believed in ghosts but he definitely did not believe that wishing upon shooting stars actually worked and yet he still couldn’t help thinking that they could have really needed one right now. 

“Maybe once or twice, I can’t remember. Let’s sit down.” Liam suggested and Niall wasn’t too opposed to that idea because that meant that they wouldn’t walk even further away from safety. Not that the castle was safe or anything, but being inside in a closed room was still slightly more comfortable than being out in the open like this. 

There were a few stone steps to which Liam pulled Niall and the younger boy only really thought about it for a moment before going to sit one step lower than Liam in front of him and the older boy spread his legs when he noticed what Niall was doing, almost immediately hugging him from behind, pulling him back against him. Right, this was already 100 times better than walking for sure and Niall didn’t even have to be paranoid anymore about his back being exposed. 

“Are you cold? I don’t want you to get sick or anything.” Liam asked as if he hadn’t forced Niall to put on one of his jumpers before they had even left for their walk, but the younger boy refrained from pretending to be annoyed because he actually wasn’t annoyed at all and sometimes he really needed Liam to baby him like that. Show him just how much he meant to him without having to say it. 

“I’m good… and you’re really comfortable.” More than that actually, especially since that short night was really taking its toll on Niall now and he just fully leaned back against his boyfriend, making sure to search for one of his hands though just so he would know not to loosen his grip on Niall. “You smell really good.”

“I’m pretty sure I don’t, I’ve been wearing the same clothes for almost an entire day now and I forgot to put on cologne this morning.” Liam laughed a bit, apparently thinking Niall was lying but why would he have? He could have just stayed quiet.

“You smell like yourself, I like that better than anything else anyways.” Niall was saying it how it was although he was probably a bit tired and not really weighing his words or he would have gotten embarrassed but it was really whatever, it was the truth after all. 

The older boy stayed quiet for a moment and Niall almost didn’t notice because he had let his eyes fall closed on accident, forgetting to watch the night sky like they had actually planned on doing. Liam startled Niall quite a bit when he suddenly squeezed him, pressing his warm lips right against Niall’s cheek, his whisper feeling hot on the younger’s skin. “You’re so fucking cute, you know that?”

“So I’ve been told.” Niall joked, but he could feel his face getting hotter as Liam laughed quietly against his cheek, letting his lips move up to the younger’s temple as well. “I really meant it though…“

“I know.” Liam told him gently, the kinda voice that made Niall go all soft inside, that made him wanna curl up in the older’s arms and just stay there forever, just listen to his heartbeat and breathe him in and never get up again. He was everything Niall wanted and everything he needed, despite everything else going on around them, he knew it’d never influence how he felt for the older boy. He was just way too far gone at this point, maybe had been all along. 

This time, Niall managed to actually keep his eyes open as they fell into a comfortable silence, just cuddling on those stairs and watching the stars without ever seeing a shooting one again, but Niall didn’t really care about that anyways. All he cared about right now was being held by Liam and feeling him everywhere around him, trying to forget about these problems they would have to deal with sooner or later. But not right now.

“Would you ever wanna get married like this?” Liam asked out of nowhere and Niall had been about to say no, but then he thought about it for a moment.

“Not in this place, that’s for sure, but… I don’t mind big weddings, I think it’d be fun. But I also wouldn’t mind having a small one, it really depends, I’m not that picky.” Also, Niall had been about to say he’d do whatever Liam wanted to do, but like… it would have maybe been weird to immediately assume that Liam had been talking about the two of them. “You?”

“Yeah, the same… I just thought you’d tell me you really wanna get married on a yacht.” Right, Niall was still slightly upset about that, very deep down though. 

“I would, but also, what if someone gets drunk and then falls into the water? Everything would be ruined.” And everyone would be traumatized.

“Someone as in you?” The older boy chuckled and Niall couldn’t even get mad at him because fuck, he was still embarrassed about that night he had almost thrown up in Liam’s car and kept going on about how hot he was. “I wouldn’t let that happen.”

“I wasn’t talking about me. Also, I only got drunk that one time and I was really jealous because you were cuddling with one of your friends.” There it was, Niall couldn’t remember if he had actually ever told Liam that, but now he had. 

“Seriously? I didn’t even know you paid any attention to me during that party, I thought you were just pissed off that I took away your drink.” Liam actually sounded surprised, as if he didn’t know just how fucking long Niall had been crushing on him. 

“I was pretty pissed off, but like… at everything, not just you. I’m just glad I didn’t talk you into snogging me again that night, I would have died in the morning.” Truly.

“I wouldn’t have ever snogged you that night, you were completely out of it. Also, it would have made things weird as hell and I was sober… and back then I hadn’t really thought about the two of us in too much depth.” Liam added after a moment and it’s not that it upset Niall in any way, it just reminded him how obsessed he had been with Liam.

“That makes one of us.” He told the older boy, not too embarrassed anymore now to admit it because whatever, they were dating for god’s sake, Liam was his boyfriend and they were in love. “Anyways, I still wasn’t talking about me and I think marrying on a yacht has more disadvantages than advantages, I just wanted to be on one. But maybe I would have hated it as much as the castle, so whatever.”

“I’ll take you on one day and then you can decide that for yourself. Do you really hate the castle that much though? Nothing strange happened and we’ve been here the entire day.” True, but apparently Liam wasn’t familiar with the fact that those things usually happened during the night. 

“I don’t hate it, I just wish I could stop being paranoid.” Especially because it were their last few nights together, but Niall didn’t say that of course because it would have only made Liam feel bad. “I’m already kinda terrified of when we have to go back inside and be in that room the whole night.”

“We can stay out here for a while longer, maybe you’ll get so tired at some point you won’t even notice anymore where we’re sleeping. And I’d protect you anyways, even from a ghost.” Niall was pretty sure Liam was smirking as he kissed his cheek, but he didn’t check, just leaned even more into his boyfriend, hoping that he was right with Niall getting more tired. Right now, he kinda really wasn’t anymore.

They stayed like this for quite a while, there were no more shooting stars but Niall also kinda forgot that that was what they had been looking for. He started to relax a bit more after a few minutes and he did get slightly more tired, which probably was due to the fact that Liam was just so comfortable and warm and he smelled so familiar and actually, Niall wouldn’t have minded had they stayed out here the whole night.

Their parents came back again after a while, but they left them alone and Niall and Liam probably stayed on those steps for at least an hour before Niall gave himself a push and decided that he was only being a coward talking about these ghosts all the time. It wasn’t really as bad as he had feared once they had locked their bedroom door and Liam had wrapped the younger boy back into his arms once they had gone to bed, but Niall had still insisted before that they showered together so that he wouldn’t have to wait here by himself.

“Did Zayn ever text you again?” Niall asked into almost complete darkness, his eyes already closed, Liam spooning him from behind underneath the blanket.

“No, he said he would if he found out something else, but I guess he didn’t.” Liam answered after a moment of hesitation, pressing his lips against Niall’s exposed neck and making the younger boy shiver a little bit. “I’m sure it’s not as bad as we think it is, and even the worst case scenario wouldn’t mean anything at all.”

“It’s still a bit scary… “ The younger boy mumbled, not wanting to make Liam feel guilty or anything, but at the same time, like… he was definitely scared and he really hoped this would get resolved before Liam left, even if he highly doubted it. 

“I know, baby, I’m really sorry. I promise I’m going to figure it out though, okay? You don’t have to worry about it, I’m going to fix it.” Liam promised, sounding more than serious while saying it and there was really nothing left to say for Niall.

Instead, the younger boy suddenly felt an urge to turn in Liam’s arms, so that they could be closer and so he could kiss him goodnight again before burying his face in the older’s neck. “I love you… “

“I love you too, Nialler, so, so much. Let’s try and sleep, yeah? I’ll wait until you’ve slept in.” Normally, Niall would have told him there was no need, but tonight he was just really glad about it, to know Liam was still awake while he tried to fall asleep himself and not think about any hauntings going on around them.

 

\------------------------

 

The next day was kind of boring, which was good though because they were all still kinda exhausted from all the travelling and getting up so early in the morning. Liam checked his phone every hour but Zayn didn’t text him again and neither did anybody else to ask him about Niall, so he decided that maybe that was a good thing after all. 

Their parents walked around the castle and the surrounding areas all day with who Liam assumed was their wedding planner, so he and Niall had loads of time to spend together, even though they didn’t really find a lot of things to do but that was fine as long as they were together and enjoying themselves before Liam would be gone. He was aware that being all over each other the days before he’d leave would only make it harder, but what else should they have done? Maybe talked about it, but honestly, Liam didn’t really want to and he didn’t think Niall wanted to either because he never really brought it up and there was nothing to say anyways. 

It was what it was and as much as they both hated it, at least it was only one week and not even longer, Liam would just have to make sure that he didn’t get hurt and then he’d come back home and everything would be just fine. Sounded a bit too good to be true, but what else should he have hoped for?

“Are you feeling sick again?” Liam asked the younger boy after they had had dinner and were walking back to their room after having said goodnight to their parents though it wasn’t actually that late at all.

“Hmm, no. Or maybe not yet, it could still come.” Niall told him, actually sounding very serious about it and Liam just laughed as he shook his head at the younger boy. “It’s not funny, I could have had food poisoning yesterday.”

“You ate like three portions, babe, I was surprised you could still even go on that walk last night.” Niall did eat a lot on a daily basis, but usually not THAT much.

“It wasn’t even that much anyways.” Niall grumbled, making Liam smirk again as they walked up one of the many stair cases in the castle. “Are you gonna shower with me again?”

“If you want me to.” Liam wanted to, but he knew Niall was mostly afraid of having to wait by himself while Liam was showering and that’s why he asked though he was pretty good at overplaying his fears. Or maybe it was also because they only had 1 more night here before they’d go back home and then only another one at home before Liam would be gone, something which he had been trying to avoid thinking about pretty much all day long.

“I do.” The younger boy answered immediately, so Liam agreed of course, wrapping his arm around his boyfriend as they walked down the hallway. It had gotten less creepy after spending some time here, or at least that’s what Liam thought because he wasn’t quite sure if Niall would have agreed though he had kinda stopped talking about ghost hauntings, so that was a good thing.

They got some clothes from their room before going to the bathroom, Niall making sure to lock the door even though their parents were pretty far away anyways and had their own. 

“I feel like considering how huge everything in here is they could have made the showers a bit bigger.” Niall commented while undressing himself. They had never really been weird about that around each other, also not when they had first gotten sexual two weeks ago during Niall’s heat so now it was just normal to see each other naked. 

“Maybe they were trying to keep it as authentic as possible but no one would come if there weren’t any bathrooms so they made it simple or something. I just wish the water would warm up a bit more quickly.” Liam already felt cold somehow and he now regretted having gotten naked before turning on the water, but at least it made Niall come over to hug him kinda unexpectedly, giving the older boy a few goosebumps because there were no clothes in between them. 

It was true that there wasn’t a lot of space in the shower for two people, but Liam didn’t actually mind that at all because he liked to be close to the younger boy anyways. Niall insisted that he needed to wash Liam’s hair so Liam of course let him do it because the younger boy was really good at it and he always gave him a massage as well. Liam did the same for him afterwards before moving down to his shoulders after having washed out all the shampoo, feeling a shudder going through the younger’s body before he relaxed into it. 

“You’re really good at that.” Niall sounded a bit surprised while Liam was massaging his shoulders and back under the running water, making the older boy laugh.

“Why the surprise?” Then again, maybe it wasn’t exactly a given.

“I don’t know, just never thought about it or I would have asked you to do it sooner. Now I’m gonna be asking for it all the time, so watch out.” The younger boy joked but Liam was actually pretty sure that it hadn’t been an actual joke but very much the truth. “You know… “

“Hm?” Liam made, taking his job very serious, so Niall’s words also didn’t immediately get through to him. 

“This is kinda turning me on.” Oh.

“Seriously?” Liam couldn’t help but be amused, but also, showering together usually got him a bit turned on as well, except yesterday though because they had been tired and also Niall had wanted to hurry up because he had been afraid.

“I can’t help it when you’re rubbing your hands all over me.” Niall said it almost accusingly, as if he really did not wanna get turned on right now, but it was too late anyways.

Liam kept going for a while before the younger boy suddenly turned around, his face a little flushed either from the warm water or from something else as he wrapped his arms around Liam’s neck, just lightly at first so they could be closer. “How’s your back feel?”

“Really good, thank you.” The younger boy smiled, playing with the damp hair in the back of Liam’s neck as the older boy let his hands rest on Niall’s hips, pulling him in a bit more and letting his head dip down as Niall moved to kiss him not even a second later.

It was kinda a bit weird to be kissing with the water running down over their faces and also a bit unpractical because there was so little space, but it was still really good and Liam wouldn’t have wanted it any other way right now. He immediately relaxed his jaw as Niall licked over his lips, shuddering a bit as their tongues first touched and the kiss got heated very quickly, probably because Niall had genuinely gotten turned on from Liam massaging his back.

Liam made sure to hold on tightly to Niall as he moved them a bit while still snogging, until Niall’s back hit the wall and they weren’t standing directly in the water anymore. Letting his hands move up and down Niall’s hips and sides, Liam made sure to pull him so close that there wouldn’t have even fit a piece of paper between their bodies. He could feel the younger boy getting hard against himself and Liam felt quite the same, all the touching and nakedness clearly having an effect on both of them. 

Liam fucking loved those sounds Niall would make while they were kissing, how eager he was to snog Liam and to keep him close, as if he could never get enough of him. An obvious shudder went through his body as Liam let his hands slip down to the younger’s ass instead, pulling him impossibly closer. 

When they ran out of air, Liam went over to kissing down Niall’s jaw and neck instead, the younger boy leaning his head back against the shower wall to give him better access, his fingers still curled tightly in Liam’s hair, sighing contently as Liam sucked a light bruise onto his skin. He did that a lot and he knew that everyone would be able to see it, but maybe that was exactly what Liam liked so much about it, the fact that everybody could see that Niall was his only after marking him up.

Liam pressed their lips back together after he was satisfied with the bruise, his lunges still screaming for air but he didn’t care right now, he was way too eager to keep on kissing his boyfriend and Niall seemed to feel much the same. 

“Liam-“ Niall started as they broke apart for just a second, not having enough time to finish what he had been about to say though before they were kissing again. “Can we- can we wait until we’re back in our room?”

His words had come out with lots of hectic breathing in between and Liam almost couldn’t take it to wait and not press their lips back together, but he also got where the younger boy was coming from and that he would have actually preferred that as well. He was just so damn desperate right now. “Yeah… we’re done here, right?”

“Yeah, more than done.” Niall confirmed a little too fast, making Liam laugh breathlessly as he briefly kissed the younger’s cheek before turning off the water. 

It was probably cold once they got out of the shower, but Liam honestly didn’t really notice as he threw the younger boy a towel before briefly drying himself off and wrapping it around his waist though it seemed kind of unnecessary right now. They still had to somehow get to the bedroom though, so they should have probably been somewhat decent for that, just in case. 

Liam waited until Niall was ready, internally praying that no one would happen to walk past now as they slipped out of the bathroom to walk the short distance to their room and his prayers definitely got heard because they got there without any interruptions. “Thank god, it would have been so like my mother to come around the corner.”

“Please don’t talk about your mother right now.” The older boy half joked, but he also kinda meant it as he made sure to close and lock the door before pulling Niall closer again, tilting his head a bit as he immediately went back in for the kiss, wanting nothing more right now than to be close to Niall and touch him anywhere possible. 

They blindly moved to the bed and since they were both only wearing towels anyways, Liam made sure to rip them both off and let them drop to the floor on their way, both of them falling onto the bed a little ungracefully. 

“Ow, you hit me in the face.” Niall was laughing though when he said it, moving a bit more into the center of the bed but Liam still felt bad about it.

“Sorry, love. Show me where.” Liam waited for the younger boy to point to his jaw before leaning down to kiss the spot as softly as somehow possible, still lying on top of him but making sure not to crush him or anything. “Better?”

“Much… kiss me for real though.” He demanded, so obviously Liam didn’t have to be told twice, feeling Niall’s arms wrapping around his neck once more to keep him close as they made out again, possibly even more heated than before in the shower. 

Honestly, Liam liked doing stuff like this with Niall a lot more when the younger boy wasn’t in heat because there was no urge really, they could take as long or as little as they wanted and he wouldn’t constantly think about how uncomfortable Niall must have been feeling all along. Not that he had been in heat so often or that they had done anything during it besides two weeks ago, but they had done stuff since then and Liam had just found it more enjoyable, to which the younger boy had agreed when he had brought it up.

They weren’t exactly going slow right now though because they were both already getting hard, even more now that Liam was on top of Niall, rubbing against him, but when he moved a hand between their bodies, Niall suddenly broke the kiss to stop him. “Wait.”

“What’s wrong?” Liam was trying to catch his breath but he was also concerned as he retracted his hand without having touched the younger boy, looking down at him to scan his face, but he couldn’t see any signs of discomfort. “Did I do anything?”

“No, no, it’s not that, I just… “ Niall took a breath, either because he needed to or because he was suddenly getting nervous about what he was about to say, Liam really couldn’t tell and he was also more than confused about all of this. “I was thinking about something.”

“Okay, about what?” This seemed a bit random, so it probably had something to do with this, but Liam genuinely couldn’t figure it out and he felt slightly dumb about it as well afterwards.

“You know, um… I really don’t wanna ruin the mood or anything, I actually wanted to talk to you about it earlier, but, uh, I didn’t and- anyways, since you’ll be gone for a whole week-“ Oh shit, this was definitely kind of ruining the mood but Liam tried to not let his face fall or anything as to not discourage the younger boy. “And since we’ll be back home tomorrow and not alone anymore and, um… I know we haven’t really talked about it anymore and I totally get if you don’t wanna and I really don’t wanna be pushy and if I am then just tell me to shut up, I was just thinking that maybe… you know… “

It still took a few moments of Liam just dumbly staring down at his boyfriend and blinking a few times to finally realize what was causing him troubles and once he understood, his reaction wasn’t what it usually was. Liam knew that Niall wouldn’t have really cared if he had said no and that he wasn’t trying to guilt trip Liam into it by talking about how he would go away, but the older boy kinda really got it, like… it was true, they had the perfect opportunity right here without anybody hearing them and Liam WOULD be gone for a whole week and… he wasn’t quite sure what moment he was waiting for exactly.

“Forget about it, I shouldn’t have said anything, I’m sorry, I didn’t wanna make you feel like-“

“No, you didn’t, it’s okay, babe.” Liam made sure to interrupt Niall as he started apologizing because he had been waiting a bit too long to respond, just thinking about it, weighing the possibilities and what he actually wanted. He definitely wanted Niall and he wanted them to have sex and honestly, he knew there was no perfect special moment or anything like that, he just hadn’t wanted it to be in haste and while Niall was in heat. And then afterwards they had just been waiting and now… “We can just see how far we’ll go, okay?”

“Okay… I, um, I gotta admit something.” The younger boy let out a laugh but it only really sounded nervous and not amused and Liam’s fingers froze against his cheek for a moment after stroking it, making sure to keep it up though. “I kinda… I brought lube. Just in case.”

“You got a 100 milliliter lube bottle so you could bring it on the plane in your backpack?” Liam asked with his eyebrows pulled up, not being able to stop himself from laughing when Niall nodded, looking guilty as hell though for whatever reason. “We won’t even need it, love, you know that.”

“It’s possible we do though, I googled it and I wanted to make sure.” Niall shrugged as he defended himself, his face having gotten bright red and Liam couldn’t help but lean down to kiss his nose because he was just so dang cute. “Stop smiling, it’s not that funny.”

“It kinda is. You really were scared something would stop us, huh?” It was kinda obvious, but Liam was okay with it of course, it had never been a secret how badly Niall wanted them to do this and if he was being honest with himself here then he had been more than ready for a while as well, he just liked to do things a bit more romantically. “Let’s just see, yeah? I assume it’s in your backpack somewhere on the bottom so I wouldn’t see it on accident?”

“You’re making me sound like a criminal or something, I didn’t want you to feel pressured. I still don’t, I just… I thought I’d ask, is all.” The thing was, Liam knew that and now he felt bad for teasing, making sure to softly kiss the younger boy in an attempt to maybe make it up to him. 

“I know, baby, I’m sorry for laughing, okay? I’m not feeling pressure at all and I know you’re okay with waiting. I did probably overdo it a bit with that though and I didn’t want you to think I don’t wanna have sex with you, because I do. We can just see where this goes and if it happens, it happens.” Their noses were still brushing while Liam talked, or whispered more like, pressing another kiss to Niall’s lips after he had waited for him to agree, seemingly happy about that answer because he noticeably relaxed. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Li… and you’re allowed to put your hand back where it was, by the way.” Niall told him jokingly, making Liam chuckle against his lips, actually needing a moment to stop before they deepened the kiss once more and he did move his hand back between their bodies, but only after a few moments of them making out. 

Liam kinda had a feeling that they would definitely take this further because the younger boy seemed even more desperate than before, pulling on Liam’s hair and moving underneath him, not even wanting him to pull away for a single second. When Liam moved his hand back between them to wrap it around both their erections at once, Niall held on even tighter to him, so much that it hurt but in a good kinda way. 

Since the younger boy obviously didn’t want this to be over too soon and Liam didn’t either if he was being honest, he moved his fist only barely, rubbing their hard ons together and the pressure alone was driving him crazy so he was keeping it easy for now. Honestly, had Niall not interrupted his plans before, this might have already been over because Liam kinda felt overly sensitive today and it seemed the younger boy felt quite the same as he broke the kiss, breathing heavily and letting out a quiet moan before he was able to talk. 

“Fuck… slow down, please, I’m already- already on the edge… “ He told Liam between breaths, so Liam let his hand movements come to a stop, just looking down at Niall for a second, taking in his flushed face and half closed eyelids, how he just looked so damn beautiful that Liam almost couldn’t believe it. 

“You really wanna do this?” Liam asked, just to make sure one more time as he slowly let go of both of them and Niall visibly relaxed a bit, as if he had been genuinely scared he’d ruin it all by coming now. Not that that would have ruined anything, they would have surely found a way to still make it work and Liam wouldn’t have minded. He also got that Niall wanted to wait though.

“I really do, been wanting it for a while. You know that. And I trust you, a 100 percent.” Niall told him, sounding more than just genuine, his fingers having stopped cramping in Liam’s hair and the older boy felt one of his hands moving down the side of his neck until he was cupping his cheek, giving him a few goosebumps. “Do you?”

“I do, I didn’t think we would tonight or on this trip in general, but I want to. If you change your mind though, at any point, we can just stop, you know that, right? I’d always stop.” Just to make sure he knew even though Liam always told him that, but it was just really important to him.

“I know, Li. The same goes for you, I’d never wanna do this if you felt like you had to just because I’ve been annoying.” He still sounded concerned about that and it was true that he had been the driving force behind it, but it wasn’t like he was forcing Liam or had convinced him or anything like that.

“Baby, I promise you were not being annoying and if I still wanted to wait then I would have told you like the times before, okay? I want to.” To stop any more worries forming in Niall’s mind, Liam made sure to lean down and kiss him again, the younger’s hand still pressed against his face, his thumb unevenly moving across Liam’s skin as he was distracted by the kiss. “Should I go get the lube?”

“Umm, I actually don’t think we’ll need it.” Niall told him quietly, their lips still brushing and though Liam’s eyes were still closed, he just knew that the younger boy was blushing while telling him, probably because he could feel his body getting him ready to actually have sex with an Alpha. “Just wanted to be on the safe side… “

“I know, it was a good idea, actually.” Liam told him to make him feel better and less embarrassed before licking back into his mouth, somehow not getting enough of the way the younger boy tasted and how it felt to just be snogging him like this, with the prospect of going even further. 

Liam didn’t want to just go for it, so he just kept kissing Niall for a bit longer before moving down once more, kissing the bruise again that he had already created in the shower before going even lower while the younger boy was just sighing above him, moving his hand unevenly through Liam’s hair. 

“You’re so gorgeous, babe.” Though he knew it would make Niall blush and embarrassed, Liam wanted him to know anyways and he wasn’t disappointed as he looked up with a smile to see the younger’s pinkish cheeks. “Don’t be embarrassed.”

“I’m not.” Niall clearly lied, but it was alright because he was moaning again a minute later when Liam sucked one of his nipples into his mouth, knowing just how crazy the younger boy went for that. He switched to the other one after a while before continuing to place open mouthed kisses down Niall’s chest and stomach, being stopped by the younger boy though once he got dangerously close to his erection. “Li… “

“I know, love.” Liam calmed him down, half sitting up once more to crawl back up so they were face to face once more, Niall’s face having gotten kinda sweaty and even redder, his chest heaving a little. “How do you wanna do it?”

“Like… just go for it.” Niall told him after hesitating for a moment, almost making the older boy laugh but then he didn’t because it would have kinda been inappropriate. “I’m ready.”

“Okay… “ Liam pressed a kiss to his mouth before reaching down, feeling Niall spreading his legs a bit more and though he had told him to just do it, Liam wanted to make sure that he hadn’t just been saying it. 

He gently pressed his finger against Niall’s hole while kissing him, feeling the younger’s body react to it as he let it dip in just barely, just to feel whether he was indeed ready and wet enough for Liam to invade him. He definitely was. 

“I’m gonna go slow, okay? Tell me if it hurts.” It shouldn’t have really, there was actually no way unless Niall wasn’t into it. Liam had had sex with both Omegas and Betas and the difference was of course noticeable, but he had still always made sure to prep the Betas beforehand and use lube, but since Niall was an Omega, his body was made for it anyways so there was no need to do any of that.

Still, Liam didn’t just go for it obviously, he grabbed a hold of himself, making sure to keep a close eye on his boyfriend so that he would notice every tiny change in his expression as he very slowly lined himself up, shifting a bit until the head of his cock was bumping against Niall’s hole and the younger boy sucked in a breath while Liam himself suddenly felt a bit dizzy. 

They didn’t talk as Liam pushed in, as gently and slowly as somehow possible even if there was no resistance whatsoever and the glide was easy because Niall had indeed been very ready, just like he had said. Once Liam was bottoming out and had gone back to lying fully on top of the younger boy, he was giving them both a second to breathe and get used to the feeling, but already, Liam didn’t think he had ever been this close in his entire life.

“You okay, baby?” The older boy felt slightly breathless as he asked, brushing his fingers over various parts of Niall’s face and hair, the younger’s eyes half closed, his arms having gone a little limp around Liam at this point.

“Yeah, you can move, I’m completely fine, I promise.” Actually, he sounded more than eager for Liam to just go for it and god, Liam wanted nothing more than that right now, but he also didn’t want it to be over in the matter of a few seconds. 

He started out slow, just barely pulling out of Niall before rocking back in but it still already felt so intense that he thought he had to slow down once more while the younger boy had pressed his eyes closed, his mouth slightly opened, moaning quietly as Liam built a rhythm of thrusting into him. Fuck, they should have done this much sooner, there was literally nothing that compared to how Liam felt right now. 

Liam let his forehead drop against Niall’s, keeping most of his weight on his elbows now and they weren’t really kissing but more breathing against one another, Niall’s arms having slipped down so he was now digging his nails into Liam’s skin. Liam didn’t go any faster even after fucking into Niall for a bit because he just knew they would have both cum way too fast and he could still already feel his knot swell, making it a bit harder each time to pull out of the younger boy and push back inside.

“I don’t- _fuck_ … don’t have to… knot you.” Liam made sure to tell Niall because he must have noticed the increased pressure as well, but his reaction seemed almost as if he was afraid Liam’s knot would pop anywhere except inside him.

“I want you to… please. I w-want… all of y-you.” Niall almost sounded desperate and as if he was going to cry or something, his legs wrapping around the back of Liam’s thighs to keep him closer and possibly from not knotting him, so that was a pretty clear answer for Liam.

The older boy did go slightly faster though when he could feel himself being pushed closer to the edge, reaching between them once more to sloppily jerk Niall off in time with his thrusts, forcing himself to keep his eyes open and look at the younger boy once he couldn’t keep quiet anymore and a stream of “please don’t stop” and “please go faster” mixed with Liam’s name escaped his mouth.

“ _Fuck_ … I’m g-gonna… gonna cum… _Liam_ … “ Liam loved watching Niall cum, he made sure to fuck him through it, moving his wrist a bit faster as he stared down at the younger’s face, the complete bliss spreading as he was riding out his high, moaning Liam’s name so loudly that the older boy was once again glad that nobody would be able to hear them.

The older boy tried to hold back until Niall was coming down from it, his wrist movements becoming a bit less frequent though when he felt his knot was about to pop and he thrusted into Niall one last time before they were practically locked together and Liam came with a grunt, feeling Niall clinging to him more desperately as he pumped him full with his cum. 

“Fuck… “ Liam almost didn’t hear Niall, his orgasm so forceful that his ears were ringing afterwards and he needed a moment to actually come down from it. 

“You okay?” Liam asked before he was even feeling somewhat normal again, having to actually catch his breath while still feeling himself filling Niall up. Fuck, Liam truly didn’t know anymore why he had wanted to wait for this long because he felt completely blissed out now and he was suddenly filled with so much love for the younger boy that he could have cried.

“Yeah… “ Niall answered quietly and Liam finally lifted his head with some difficulty from where he had buried it next to the younger boy’s, pulling his sticky hand out from in between them to support himself.

When he looked at the younger boy though, Liam was a little shocked to see his face completely wet from both sweat but obviously mostly tears as they were just streaming down his cheeks, causing Liam to panic for a second. “Baby, what’s wrong? Did I hurt you?!”

“No… no, you didn’t, I just… “ Niall took a shaky breath, tightening his arms around Liam a little bit and pulling him in closer as the older boy leaned down to kiss a few tears away, struggling to catch his breath at the same time. “I l-love you so m-much.”

Hearing Niall saying that while literally crying was really pulling on Liam’s heart strings and he could feel his own eyes getting a bit wet as he softly kissed the younger boy before rubbing their noses together. “I love you too, Ni, there’s no need to cry.”

“I can’t h-help it.” Niall told him, sniffing a bit and not saying anything for a moment, but when he did, Liam genuinely wanted to cry with him. “I don’t want you to g-go… “

Liam was a bit taken aback hearing Niall just say it straight out, just admit it after they hadn’t talked about it in so long and almost immediately, Liam wanted to actually punch himself in the head. “I know… I’m sorry… “

“It’s not your fault.” The younger boy sniffed again, finally looking at Liam again but there were even more tears shimmering in his eyes now and the older boy actually felt sick to his stomach. Niall tightened his arms so Liam kinda put more weight on him as he leaned down further, briefly kissing the younger’s cheek before burying his face next to Niall’s head in the sheets again, trying not to cry himself. 

They didn’t talk anymore because there was nothing to add onto that and it’s not that Liam thought this had ruined the experience or anything, he just hated that Niall felt so strongly about it, that he was crying about it, probably because he was so scared, and there was nothing at all Liam could have done to make him feel any better. He would miss Niall terribly as well, that was for sure, they had never spent this much time apart since they had met properly and Liam had no idea if he would even be able to fall asleep alone again at this point. And then of course Zayn’s text message and the fact that they still didn’t know who actually knew about them and… it was all just a freaking mess right now. 

So they were just lying there for quite a while, feeling each other’s heartbeats and Niall drawing patterns on Liam’s back, seemingly not at all bothered or freaked out by the fact that they couldn’t have moved even if they had wanted to because of Liam’s knot needing a while to go back down. 

One thing was for sure, Liam needed to think of something before he went away, something to make sure he could call and text Niall so he would know where Liam was at all times and what was going on, he was just kinda terrified of somebody noticing and making the mess even bigger than it already was. Even if that seemed hardly possible now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys :) 
> 
> im so glad its finally friday and that its the weekend, my internship is killing me & i already had to take a sick day so i hope you guys have had a better week! im also super relieved i managed to upload on time, i literally finished editing this chapter 15 minutes ago, but to be fair it was already done last night haha.
> 
> i hope you all enjoyed the chapter & i apologize i'm only answering comments now but ive been getting up at 5.30 every day and being so far away from a morning person as someone can get, its been killing me!
> 
> thank you all for sticking around, id love to hear your thoughts as always <3


	17. Chapter 17

Niall didn’t speak up for a while because he knew he would have just been crying in between and he really wanted to spare Liam that. He felt bad enough already for what he had said a few moments ago about not wanting Liam to go, but he had just been overwhelmed by his emotions after what had happened, after being knotted by Liam had been so much more intense than Niall would have ever thought. In the best way possible of course though Niall wasn’t really sure if he had brought it across that way by crying like a baby.

Liam was heavy on top of Niall, pressing him into the mattress but the younger boy really didn’t mind, he was hugging the older boy close, playing with his hair and drawing random patterns onto his skin as he just listened to him breathing, feeling it too. He was so in love with Liam it was ridiculous. 

“How long is it gonna last? I mean… until it goes down?” Niall whispered after a while, breaking the silence because he felt like he was the reason it had even happened and he didn’t actually like it, especially not after what they had done. He could still feel a tear or two escaping him once a while, but somehow, he seemed to have run out at some point.

“A few minutes… is it uncomfortable?” Liam was whispering as well, or maybe it was because he had his face pressed into the pillow next to Niall’s head.

“No… I was just wondering.” It was true, it wasn’t uncomfortable at all, in fact… “I like being this close to you.”

“Me too.” The older boy told him and Niall already wanted to start crying all over again, so he made sure to hold on even more tightly to Liam so that he wouldn’t sit up to see his face just yet. “About what you said-“

“I’m sorry I said it, I was just… a bit overwhelmed and… but I’ve calmed down now, I’m fine, I promise, and I’m sorry I ruined the mood. I didn’t want you to think I didn’t enjoy myself.” Because hell, he had enjoyed himself more than any other time in his entire life pretty much. 

“You didn’t ruin anything at all, babe, I just wish I could say or do something to make you feel better but I can’t and it’s killing me.” Liam was still talking quietly, but Niall could still hear the pain in his voice and he absolutely hated it as he hugged his boyfriend more tightly, turning his head so that he could briefly kiss the side of Liam’s because that was all he was able to reach. 

“It’s okay, Li, I promise… we’ll be fine.” They HAD to be and honestly, Niall wouldn’t have wanted Liam to go even for a different or a normal reason, even if he hadn’t had to worry about him, so there was that of course. He was super clingy and dependent on Liam, so that made things even harder than they already were.

“I hope so… “ The older boy sounded worried when he answered, but Niall tried to not let it get to him and instead take this moment in for as long as possible, keep it locked in his mind for when Liam wouldn’t be here and Niall would be lying awake missing him. Because those nights would come for, the younger boy already knew it. 

They stayed like this for a little longer before Liam suddenly moved, pushing himself up a bit to look down at Niall again, who had luckily managed to stop crying by then, leaning down to kiss him softly on the lips before moving on to just kiss his face in various places until the younger boy was laughing and he could have sworn Liam’s smile was making his heart swell.

“This might be uncomfortable.” Liam warned him, waiting for Niall to give him a nod though before he pulled out of him and Niall had to admit it wasn’t the most comfortable thing ever, but he was more affected by the loss and not being this close to Liam anymore than anything else. “Wait, I’ll get a few tissues.”

“Thank you… oh.” Niall had moved just slightly, feeling a bit of Liam’s cum dripping out of him, which he didn’t really care about because he was more focused on the fact that his abdomen was definitely sticking out more than usually. 

“What’s wrong?” Liam asked as he came back with a few tissues, taking one for himself and giving the rest to Niall as he sat down on the bed again where the younger boy had half sat up by now.

“Nothing’s wrong, I just noticed my stomach.” He had read up on this, just hadn’t thought about it ever since so he had just been a little bit surprised. 

“It’ll be completely normal again tomorrow morning.” Liam promised immediately, almost as if he was afraid that Niall would get freaked out otherwise, but honestly, he didn’t even care. 

“It only feels a little weird anyways.” Niall shrugged, continuing to clean himself up before handing the dirty tissues to Liam because he had stretched out his hand for them to go and throw them away while the younger boy made himself more comfortable on the bed, untangling the blanket so that he could actually lie underneath it. “Remember two weeks ago when I was in heat and I commented on the amount of, you know, your cum?”

“I remember that very well, yeah.” The older boy was laughing as he came back, pulling the curtains and turning off the main lights before crawling underneath the blanket with Niall, immediately wrapping him up in his arms. 

“I guess I have different thoughts on it now.” Niall half joked, at the same time though feeling his stomach being a little tender if he moved too quickly, but if he was being honest with himself right now then he fucking loved it, loved having a part of Liam somehow, the fact that the older boy had wanted to do this with him, and only him. “What if I told you now that I forgot to take the pill?”

“Then I’d say we should wait a while to see what happens and then discuss it further… you didn’t forget it though, right?” No idea whether Liam was freaked out by the thought of it or not and suddenly Niall kinda realized that they had never really talked about this. 

“No, I didn’t, no worries… Would you get mad though?” Niall asked the question a bit more quietly because he was actually being very serious right now, cuddling closer into Liam’s arms, also a little bit so that they wouldn’t be able to look at each other.

“Why’d I get mad? I would have been involved just as much.” Liam seemed confused, which was a relief to Niall somehow even though he hadn’t ever really thought that Liam would have ever genuinely gotten mad at him for something like this. He was just the perfect boyfriend, there was literally no doubt about it. 

“Yeah, but I would have been the one who has forgotten the pill… but it doesn’t mean something has to happen in that case, right? I mean, even if I was in heat?” No idea why Liam would know more about that than Niall, but he kinda knew an answer to everything.

“I don’t think so. Also, the pill you’re taking isn’t 100% safe either so there is that. And it still wouldn’t be your fault if you forgot to take it because we’re still both involved when we have sex and you just have the tough luck that you gotta take the pill and I don’t.” That was true, although Niall didn’t feel like it was that much of a hard task, especially because his heat would have been much worse without. “We’d work it out though, whatever happens, I know we would.”

“Imagine us with a child though or like, a real baby. Like, in your dad’s house and imagine telling them and especially my mother and stuff.” Niall felt a little sick just thinking about having to tell her that even though there wasn’t even a need to. “I already thought I’d have to die when we told them we’re dating, I’d literally die if I had to tell them I’m pregnant. And we couldn’t just wait it out either because they’d notice it.” 

“Because you might get even more moody than you already are?” Liam joked, chuckling a bit over his own joke but apologizing immediately when Niall pretended to be upset even though in reality, he had to admit it had been kinda funny. “It’d be fine, and it won’t happen anyways, I mean, one day in the future but not anytime soon.”

“Well, Louis already offered his baby sitting services, so… at least we have that.” Niall had felt his heart beating a bit faster hearing Liam talking about them possibly having kids together in the future, because Niall really wanted to, he wanted to have everything with Liam and be with him until… well, forever.

“I’m not sure if that’s something to be relieved by.” Liam threw in and he was probably right. “But we’d be fine, I know it. And if you do ever forget to take the pill and we have sex then you don’t have to worry about telling me, okay? Or, if like, you know, you randomly find out you’re pregnant like in one of those movies then you can just tell me, I don’t want us to be like those couples where we’re afraid how the other one is gonna react.”

“Okay… “ Somehow Niall hadn’t known he had needed to hear this, but now that Liam had said it, he felt himself relax some more, leaning back a little bit so that they could look at each other, his heart beating so fast already that he barely thought about what he was about to say beforehand. “You’re actually perfect.”

“I’m not perfect, Niall, far from it. I love you and I don’t want you to ever be afraid to come talk to me, about anything at all, but that should be normal in a relationship.” If Niall hadn’t known better, he would have said Liam’s cheeks had gotten a bit pink, but it was probably just the lightning. 

“I still think you’re perfect. To me. You can’t argue with that.” Niall smiled when Liam playfully rolled his eyes, reaching out for the younger boy to stroke his cheek with the back of his fingers before moving them down to his lips, softly dragging his thumb across them. 

“You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen.” Liam told him unexpectedly, sounding so honest though that Niall blushed like crazy, already about to open his mouth to protest when Liam already interrupted him. “You can’t argue with that either, babe.”

It was true somehow, Niall really couldn’t, he was just a little embarrassed but also really happy and giddy at the same time though and when Liam smirked before leaning in to kiss him, he decided that maybe he would just take the compliment like that just like he hoped the other way around.

They went to sleep later than expected, after kissing and whispering for way longer than planned and Niall made sure to let Liam know that tonight had been really special to him and that he had never felt this way with anybody, or about anybody, even if it caused him some troubles admitting all that while looking straight into the older’s face. Liam seemed really happy about it though, telling Niall that he felt the very same way and had this not been their second to last night together before Liam would have to leave, Niall would have gone to sleep being the happiest person on this planet.

 

\------------------------

 

The last day was mostly them travelling home and Liam could tell that Niall was being a bit more clingy than usual, but it got even more noticeable once they actually got home after having been stuck in traffic for what seemed to be ages. They had talked about last night again in the morning because Liam felt like maybe they should have, but not about him going away the next day, but it was obvious that this was pretty much everything that was on Niall’s mind right now. And on his as well. 

It didn’t exactly make things any better that everybody else knew about it as well, like, not the truth of course, but where Liam would go to in general. 

“When are you leaving tomorrow, Liam?” His father asked once they had all gotten inside the house and before they had even taken off their shoes and Liam felt himself freeze, not even daring to throw a look at Niall right now.

“Uh, I don’t have the exact time in mind, but the flight’s at around 10 or something.” Pretty early, and also, Liam hated that Niall would miss another day at uni now after missing today as well, but then again… it’s not like it mattered and Liam really wanted the younger boy to be there to say goodbye, so obviously he wouldn’t complain. “But it’s the other airport, so it’s fine.”

“Are you taking a taxi?” God, why was he suddenly so interested in this?

“No, Niall’s driving me, with my car.” Liam told him, throwing a side glance at his boyfriend, but he was doing a very good job at pretending to be busy taking off his shoes. 

“Don’t you have classes, Ni?” His mother threw in and god, couldn’t they see that no one wanted to talk about this?

“No, they’re cancelled.” Niall lied smoothly, not looking at her though and she just dropped it like that while Liam’s father made some sound of agreement before switching the topic to something else and Liam wanted to die. He knew it could have been worse, but this was bad enough. “Li, can we talk?”

“Sure.” Liam knew that there was nothing to talk about, but he was pretty grateful for Niall giving them an excuse to walk upstairs and though he could feel the younger’s mother’s eyes in his back, Liam tried to ignore it as he intertwined their fingers even for that short of a walk to his bedroom. “Sorry, I didn’t think my dad would even care about that.”

“It’s okay. He should care.” Niall shrugged, dropping his backpack on the floor before suddenly wrapping both arms around Liam, resting his head against the older’s shoulder and though it was unexpected, Liam hugged him back automatically. “I really wanna go shower but I also don’t wanna let go of you.”

“We can shower later.” Liam suggested, feeling his stomach dropping a bit as he got rid of his own bag so that he could hug Niall a little better, rubbing his back and kissing the top of his head. They had about 15 hours left before Liam’s plane would leave and that seemed awfully short considering they would probably sleep a bit and the fact that Liam would have to be there earlier than that. Fuck, he really hated all of this.

The younger boy hummed in agreement and they fell into silence, something that had happened quite a bit lately because of the same damn reason. There were also no news from Zayn or anybody else, so Liam was hoping that that meant it hadn’t spread too much. He had almost considered telling somebody about it who would stay home from the trip, but he didn’t really trust any of them too much and it just wasn’t worth the risk. Like, he’d be a right idiot to spread the secret himself in a poor attempt to keep Niall safe when there probably wasn’t even a reason to. He had already told Niall to stick with Harry and Louis or somebody at uni and that he should take his car to work and back home, just in case because it would be dark outside by that time. Liam would have also given Niall his car to drive to uni with it, but the younger boy had rightfully pointed out that it’d only raise suspicions.

Niall did make himself let go of Liam after a while, telling him to go shower though after they had been kissing for at least 15 minutes and Liam told him that he could go first, but the younger boy just told him to hurry, so that’s what Liam did. While Niall was gone after him, Liam tried to unpack his stuff quickly because they hadn’t really been gone for a long time anyways and then repack into a slightly bigger bag before the younger boy came back because he didn’t really want him having to watch. 

Liam only threw clothes into his bag and some other stuff that he’d need, deciding that if he forgot something, he could have just bought it there. If he would even need it or have time to do that, because they hadn’t exactly gotten a schedule or something. 

Niall still wasn’t back by the time Liam was finished, so he just started unpacking the younger’s things for him as well, smiling a bit when he did indeed find the lube bottle somewhere on the very bottom with all the other liquids he had brought on the plane. Liam had thought of something last night, when Niall had already been asleep, something to hopefully make it a bit easier for Niall when he was gone, so he spent a few minutes on that as well, deciding to do the rest later before going to lie in bed and waiting for his boyfriend to return. 

It's not that Liam was watching the time or anything, but he kinda had a feeling that Niall had been gone for a pretty long time when he finally returned, obviously having changed in his own room because he was wearing fresh clothes. Not that Liam paid any attention to that, because he was a lot more focused on how red the younger’s eyes were and his flushed face and neck.

“Baby… “ Liam started, but Niall only shook his head as he closed the door behind himself, immediately coming over to the bed to crawl onto the mattress and go over to straight up lying on top of the older boy, pushing his face into the crook of his neck. “Everything is going to be okay.”

“What if it won’t?” Niall whispered, but he didn’t sound as if he was crying right now though Liam knew he must have taken so long because he had either been crying in the shower or in his own bedroom. Fuck, he hated this so much, he wanted nothing more than to stay right here where he was. 

“It will be, I know it. I promise you.” Nothing Liam could promise and yet he was doing it again, after already having learned that it had been a bad idea. “I won’t get hurt and I’ll call you every day and we can text whenever, it’ll be fine, no one will notice. And in case I really can’t text then Zayn will do it for me.” 

“What am I gonna do if neither of you texts? What if you’re both hurt?” To be honest, it wasn’t actually THAT unlikely, but of course Liam would have never told Niall that, the younger boy was feeling bad enough already. 

“That won’t happen, it’s only a week, we need a whole day to get there and to get back home, so that leaves 5 days and we’re a few guys, there’s no way there are even that many fights scheduled, okay?” Liam should have truly asked, but he really hadn’t wanted to show any interest whatsoever or make himself look suspicious because he had surely never cared about these kinda things before. Usually all he had ever cared about was the money, and once he had realized he was stuck in this whole thing, it had been just getting it over with as quickly as possible. He still wanted that of course, but now he also wanted to make sure not to get hurt in the process, which sadly made him even more valuable to his boss. Someone who could fight fast and not get hurt? That was exactly what he was looking for. 

“I feel sick.” Niall told him as an answer, so Liam held him more tightly, afraid that Niall would start crying again any second because it almost sounded like it. “I’m so scared… “

“I know, baby… I’m so sorry. I really am, if I could change it, I would do it in a heartbeat, I’d give back all of that stupid money and… “ And nothing, because there was no point talking about this when they both knew there would have been no use at all to do that. 

“I know… “ Niall sniffed a bit afterwards and Liam was almost glad that he couldn’t see his face because it would have hurt way too much. “Can you leave the shirt here that you’re wearing right now?”

“I- of course, anything you want.” Wow, Liam hadn’t thought he could get even more upset about this whole situation and yet here he was. “Can I take yours?”

“Yeah… “ The younger boy mumbled, somehow getting heavier on top of Liam but that was completely fine. “How long is the flight?”

“Ten hours or something, but I’ll pay for the wifi so don’t worry, we can talk while I’m on it, okay?” Liam had already thought all of that through and done his research so he wouldn’t make Niall any false promises. 

“But you should also get some sleep so you won’t get off and already be tired.” Niall sounded very concerned about that, probably because he was afraid they’d get off the plane and Liam would have to immediately fight or something. 

“I will, but ten hours is pretty long, I couldn’t sleep for that long. And I’ll be jetlagged when we land anyways.” That was a huge issue actually because Liam was quite terrible with that and especially on a trip where he needed to be focused and where he needed his strength, it was actually pretty damn stupid to be going on such a long flight beforehand. Not that his boss cared about any of these things of course. 

“I still don’t get why he’s gotta take you so far away, I mean… clearly there are enough people to fight around here as well.” That was true and also, Liam should have probably considered himself lucky that he didn’t have to travel more often, but that also meant that he got late night calls where he was randomly ordered to come to wherever of course. 

“More money, I guess, at least enough to make up for all the expenses of us going there… we’re never really told why he does the things he does and it’s better not to ask.” Although at one point, Liam had been the favorite for a while, so he could have asked anything he had wanted and he had to admit that back then, he had felt pretty fucking good about it, but now he was just embarrassed. “You know… I don’t know if it’s gonna make you feel any better or not, but… he’d never risk getting any of us, like… seriously injured. Like, where we couldn’t do any other fight anymore while we’re there because he’d lose too much money.”

“I don’t know how that’s making me feel but I don’t think it’s really making me feel better… “ Right, Liam was actually a fucking idiot. “Just… please be careful, more careful than you have ever been.” 

“I promise I will be, okay? I’ll come back exactly how I left, you’ll see, the time will pass by a lot faster than you think.” It would for Liam at least, because he’d be busy the whole time, for which he actually felt really bad because… Niall had nothing except every day routine of course. “Did you ask Harry and Louis to hang out already like you wanted to?”

“Hmm, no, I haven’t… I haven’t even told them for how long you’ll be gone, just that you’re going on a trip. I feel like I’ll give it away if I try to lie.” Liam could imagine that if he was being honest and he absolutely hated that he couldn’t allow Niall to tell his friends the truth, but like, it wasn’t about him, it was about their own safety and nothing else. “I could text Louis, I guess… “

“Maybe you should, I’m sure they’d wanna hang out with you, hear all about that castle and stuff.” Liam tried to make it sound appealing, but in reality, he knew that Niall knew what his real intentions were. Keep the younger boy busy somehow, make sure he wouldn’t just lie right here in this bed and be sad and worry about Liam because the older boy was sure that there would be enough nights like this. Maybe even days. 

“Yeah… I guess.” Was all the younger boy answered, not really sounding all too enthusiastic of course as he rearranged his position a little bit, only cuddling even closer into the older boy. “Li? Can you maybe pull up the blanket?”

“Sure, babe, sorry. Are you cold?” Liam hadn’t even left yet and he was already doing a terrible job at taking care of Niall.

“Just a bit… you’re really warm.” Niall told him, sighing quietly but contently when Liam covered them both with his blanket after a little bit of trouble getting it out from underneath himself. “Can we just not move anymore until the morning?”

“Anything you want, baby.” Liam promised and he really meant it as he tucked his chin over Niall’s head, holding him tight underneath the blanket and trying to find the right words to say to make him feel better, but he knew such words didn’t exist.

That night was actually one of the most horrible nights ever. Liam couldn’t remember if he had even slept for a single minute, especially not after Niall started crying again a few hours later, almost having a full blown anxiety attack after eventually tiring himself out and falling asleep at 4 in the morning or something. Not long before they’d have to get up anyways.

He was clinging so tightly to Liam in his sleep that the older boy had no chance to get up and finish what he had planned on doing to make his trip a little easier for Niall, but at like 6 in the morning or so, Niall did roll over, so Liam made sure to use the chance, even if it hurt his heart. At least it gave him reason to go back to bed in record time, the younger boy luckily not having noticed his absence.

 

\---------------------

 

“… do you not have to check your luggage?” Niall was just trying to drag things out at this point, he knew Liam would have to get out of the car any second now, that Niall couldn’t go inside with him because it’d only raise questions. Also, there was no point because he had to go through security anyways and saying goodbye inside wasn’t a good idea at all. 

“No, I’m taking it all on the plane with me… it’d be too late to check it anyways.” Liam’s eyes never left Niall’s face, the younger boy knew he was afraid he’d start bawling any second and to be fair, he was really damn fucking close. His eyes were still burning from before when he had woken up and remembered everything all at once, not being able to calm down no matter what Liam told him or how tightly he held him, how many kisses he had placed all over his face. “Are you sure you’re gonna be okay driving back home on your own?”

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” Well…

“I’m just checking.” He was afraid Niall would get into an accident from not seeing anything because he’d be crying the moment Liam got out of this car, which was understandable and also very likely to happen. Minus the accident of course, Niall would probably just cry in the car instead if he was being honest. “Text me immediately when you get there, okay?”

“Okay… “ Niall promised, now having no choice but to leave immediately but whatever, maybe that was a smarter idea anyways. “If you don’t have wifi on the plane then… then please text me when you land, okay?”

“I’ll have wifi, I already called and asked, okay? But of course, babe, don’t worry. And you got the flight number too, you can look online, yeah?” Liam was trying everything to make Niall feel better, even fake smiles that didn’t even reach his eyes. Of course Niall knew that Liam was suffering as well, but at least he didn’t have to be worried about anybody’s life. His boyfriend’s to be exact. “I love you, Ni.”

“I love you too, Liam.” Niall felt his throat getting a bit tighter when he said it, squeezing Liam’s hand tightly as he felt tears welling up in his eyes. Fuck. “Can I… Can I hug you again?”

The older boy didn’t answer, he simply leaned over to the driver’s side of the car, wrapping the younger boy up in his arms and Niall felt a shudder going through his body as he hugged back, the tears coming almost immediately as he pressed his eyes shut. Liam would be coming so late to his flight, they both knew it and of course Niall knew that he wouldn’t miss it, but he could still fantasize about it, right? 

“It’s only a week, it’ll be over so quick, I promise. Everything will be okay.” Liam kept telling Niall that and the younger boy would have LOVED to believe him, if only Liam would have believed himself. “Look at me.”

Niall really didn’t want to, but he made sure to at least breathe Liam in one more time before pulling back a bit, allowing the older boy to look at his probably red and tear stained face.

“I love you more than anything and I promise when this is over, I’m never going to put you through anything like that ever again. No matter what.” He sounded like he really meant it when he said it, cupping Niall’s face in his palms, thumbs wiping a few of the tears as they looked at one another before Liam leaned in to press his lips against Niall’s forehead, keeping them there for a moment. “I’m only ever a phone call away, it doesn’t matter how late it is or what’s going on, I’ll answer the phone if I can or I’ll give it to Zayn in the meantime. You can always call.”

“O-Okay...” What else was there to say really? There was nothing, they were just repeating themselves at this point and Niall could feel his heart beating faster with every moment passing.

Liam did kiss him again, for longer than Niall would have thought, but when he moved to get out of the car, neither of them said a word anymore and Niall only let go of Liam’s hand when he literally had to throw the door shut. It was obvious that Liam was hiding his face while getting out of the car completely and Niall saw the tears in his eyes as they briefly looked at each other one more time before Liam turned around and walked across the street to go inside the airport building, not turning around again because there were too many cars and also, neither of them would have been able to take it.

Surprisingly enough, once Liam was gone, Niall felt completely numb. He was still crying, but silently, still feeling Liam’s lips against his and his palms pressing against his cheeks, his warm body against Niall’s. Hopefully that wouldn’t go away until Liam was back, because Niall truly did not know how to deal with it otherwise.

Though he didn’t want to, he forced himself to immediately drive home, use the chance where he was still somewhat keeping it together to make it back to their drive way at least so that he could text Liam that he was safe and at home. He didn’t need to know that Niall sat in the car for at least another hour bawling his eyes out until the tears eventually stopped coming and his face was burning as if he had been in the sun for too long.

The thing was, Niall didn’t really have a lot to text Liam right now because everything they could have been talking about would have only reminded Niall that Liam was still here, half an hour away, but soon he’d be on that damned plane and be further away from Niall than ever. Well, to be fair, Australia was pretty damn far away as well, but Niall hadn’t known him back then so obviously that didn’t count. Also, he hadn’t been risking his life during his semester abroad either.

Niall still hadn’t really talked about all this with Harry and Louis and he knew he wouldn’t have been able to today, at least not in person. He had never planned on going to uni today anyways, so once he had calmed down enough, Niall forced himself to get inside the house, kinda afraid that his mother would be coming home sooner or something even though that seemed highly unlikely.

Niall didn’t even think about going to his own room, he made a beeline for Liam’s, suppressing his tears for as long as it took him to change into the older’s shirt that he had worn last night and then bury himself underneath the blanket, on the spot where Liam had been lying, where everything still smelled exactly like him. 

No matter how many times Liam had tried telling him a week would fly by like nothing, just these few minutes felt like eternity to Niall. 

 

\----------------------

 

“Niall?” The voice said Niall’s name so many times, not stopping even when Niall groaned and pulled a pillow over his head, that he was finally forced to pry his eyes open, immediately being blinded by the main lights in the room that someone must have turned on. “My god, you look terrible.”

“I’m sleeping.” Niall told his mother, at the same time fighting back fresh tears and trying not to get too angry about her waking him. Sleeping was a good method to pass the time, and Niall didn’t have to think or worry while he was passed out. 

“It’s 4 in the afternoon, Niall, how long have you been asleep in here?” Well, considering Niall’s cry session in the car… not that long. At least he had texted Liam that he’d lie down for a bit, it had even been the older’s suggestion that Niall should try and sleep a bit, probably because he knew it’d be the only thing that would really help him. 

“Not long… can you leave me alone?” Niall truly did not wanna cry in front of his mother, mostly because he could have given her 0 explanation as to why. 

“Is this because Liam is on his trip? Ni, you know it’s just a week, right? And it’s just some model jobs, you can talk to him on the phone, why are you so upset over it?” Here it was, Niall had suspected these kinda questions of course, but he had still not prepared himself for them.

“I just… “ Niall started, not looking at his mother where she was sitting on the edge of the bed, suddenly having to blink back tears right before embarrassing himself more than he would have thought would be possible. “I j-just… I m-miss him… “

“Oh, Niall… “ Fuck, what could have been worse than this right now?! Niall truly hated himself, he just wanted to fully pull the blanket over his head and pretend to disappear or something, but instead he just covered his eyes with his arm while sobbing like a baby. “He’s only gone for a week and I’m sure he won’t have so much work to do that he can’t call you, I bet he’s really missing you too. I know you’ve never been away from him and that I’m not making it any better, I’m sorry you’re feeling this way, love.”

“It’s o-okay… it’ll p-pass… “ If only she could have been right, if only Liam was truly on a model trip, taking some pictures and having a good time and coming back all safe and sound to Niall in a week. Honestly, Niall would have killed to have that alternate universe be reality.

“You just really love him and I think that’s wonderful, I’m so happy you two found each other, you look so in love with each other and the way he’s always taking care of y-“

“Please s-stop… “ This wasn’t really helping Niall to miss Liam any less, it was only making it worse to think that maybe this would never happen again, maybe something terrible would happen to Liam on that trip, who even knew?

“I’m sorry, I’ll shut up about it. Actually, I just came here looking for you because Louis is downstairs waiting in the entrance hall.” Wait… what the fuck?!

“What?!” Almost immediately, Niall had shot into a sitting position, for a moment even forgetting to feel sorry for himself. 

“Yeah, I told him I needed to check if you were even home, he said you weren’t answering his calls or texts and he thought he’d come by because he knows Liam left today. Sorry for saying it again.” Niall’s mother immediately apologized one more time, but Niall decided to ignore it, hastily wiping over his wet face, probably making it even worse instead of better though. “Should I tell him to leave and that you’re asleep?”

“Umm… “ She would have actually done that for Niall? “No, um… you can tell him to come upstairs, but… to my room.”

“Okay. Do you wanna wash your face first or so?” Okay, that had clearly been a hint.

“Yeah, I’ll… I’ll go do that.” Niall really did not wanna get out of that bed, but at least he was still wearing Liam’s clothes and everybody was able to tell, but it was truly whatever. 

Niall’s mother waited as he went to the bathroom and tried to get himself cleaned up a little before deciding that it would have been really fucking weird to wait up here with her so he went with her instead, his face still feeling a little hot though. It probably also wasn’t a smart idea to text Liam back and briefly tell him about Louis showing up before commenting the food Liam had gotten on the plane, both of them clearly trying to pretend like things were normal, like Liam was truly going on a trip to model.

“I thought you died, why did you ignore me for so long?! You weren’t even at uni, Harry told me you missed all your classes you had together.” Louis seemed really freaked out when Niall had made his way downstairs, his mother having left to give them privacy and honestly, this was maybe the most random thing to happen right now. 

“I was asleep, I took a nap and… I drove Liam to the airport before, so… “ Niall shrugged, picking at the skin next to thumb and refusing to look at Louis because he really didn’t wanna talk about it. 

“Right, yeah, you told me, uh… “ Almost immediately, Louis seemed to have calmed down, now feeling guilty apparently even though there was literally no reason to because actually, Niall should have been grateful he had a friend who would show up to his home and demand answers because he had been worried. “When is he gonna come back again? I don’t think you told me.”

“In a week, he’s on a trip in America… for his job.” Niall hadn’t been lying yet and he also didn’t plan on continuing so he didn’t feel too bad about it. 

“Are you… are you okay with that?” How could Niall have ever been okay with that? “I mean, he asked you first if it was alright, right? You don’t look all too happy about it.”

“Yeah, um, of course he asked me, but it’s like his job and stuff and it’s only a week, so… I mean I’m gonna miss him, but… “ But there was nothing anybody could have done to change it and no one could know the truth so obviously Niall wouldn’t go around telling people that Liam had just left without asking him for permission. Not that he would have ever needed to. “It’ll be fine.”

“You don’t sound like it’s fine.” God, could Louis stop even if he was probably right?!

“Yeah, but it is what it is, and we didn’t fight about it or whatever you’re implying, it’s all good.” Nothing was good. “Sorry for not texting you back or anything, or for not telling you I wouldn’t come to uni today.”

“It’s fine, I get that you’re sad and stuff, I just wanted to make sure you’re alright, um… but I can leave if you’d rather be alone.” Louis offered, for once actually sounding 100% serious and genuine, which Niall really appreciated.

“No, it’s okay, you can stay, we can go upstairs.” Away from where Niall’s mother was probably spying on them, but it was really whatever at this point. Everyone knew by now that Niall was a freaking mess. 

Louis followed him wordlessly and Niall couldn’t actually remember the last time any of his friends had been to the house, but then again, he also wasn’t at anybody’s house a lot because they hung out somewhere else as well so whatever. Not that much lately, but that had partly been due to the fact that they had all been busy with uni as well and then of course they were all in a relationship and Niall had been in heat and now they had been in Scotland, and so time just passed by without them having seen each other except for at uni.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been in your room.” Louis noted and that was highly possible, but Niall just shrugged, waiting for his friend to enter before closing the door behind him, vaguely gesturing to the bed.

“You can just sit wherever, it doesn’t matter.” Nothing really mattered if Niall was being honest right now. 

In the end, he was the one who sat down, watching Louis briefly looking around his room before he came to the bed as well, his eyes lingering a bit too long on the hoodie half buried in Niall’s sheets that clearly belonged to Liam as well and that he had stolen a while ago already. Not that he had ever had to sleep without Liam until now, but sometimes when he had taken naps during the day or something or when Liam had been gone to a fight, it had been comforting to Niall to have a piece of the older’s clothes. Or to be wearing it, like right now. 

“How was Scotland?” Louis asked, probably to lighten the mood a little, change the topic, so Niall decided to try his best and play along.

“I mean, the landscapes are really nice and stuff, but the castle was really creepy, I’m pretty sure it’s actually haunted. But my mom’s in love with it or something so the wedding will be there for sure I think, I could ask her if you and Harry can come, they’re inviting so many people it wouldn’t be a problem. And there’s a shit ton of space anyways.” Niall would have preferred sleeping in that castle 10 more nights if that meant Liam would have been there with him. Hell, he would have bloody moved there or something. “I think Liam’s dad pays for everyone’s flights or something.”

“Seriously? Then I’m gonna think about it.” The older boy joked, but he could have as well meant it, Niall wasn’t that sure anymore. Maybe it would have been fun to have Louis and Harry there as well, Niall needed to remember to ask his mother to send them invitations. “Did you take any pictures?”

“No, I was afraid I’d see a ghost in the background or something. Liam was just laughing at me the whole time for being so scared.” Niall thought that maybe mentioning Liam casually wouldn’t hurt too bad, but he had been very wrong because it hurt even worse. He had his phone in his lap the whole time, just in case Liam would text him back but the older boy had told him he’d try to take a nap so hopefully he was succeeding at that. “Anyways, um… do you think you could ask Harry for me if he can tell me what they did in classes today? I didn’t really think about how much I’d miss.”

“I’m sure he would have sent it to you anyways in the evening, don’t worry ‘bout it.” Actually, Niall wasn’t worrying about that at all, he had just needed to say something to overplay the fact that he was almost about to cry yet again. “We should all hang out this week sometime. Or a few times, if you want to, we can do whatever.”

“Yeah, um, we could.” Niall agreed, even if he wasn’t sure if he actually wanted to, he just knew that Liam would have been happy to hear him making plans. That still wouldn’t keep him from lying in bed at night unable to sleep though sadly. “I just gotta work Friday and Saturday, but I’m free besides that.”

“Okay, cool, we’ll find something to do, I’ll tell Harry, he’s the better planner. I promise we won’t go hiking again though.” Louis laughed, as if Niall almost dying from a bacterial infection was funny, but the younger boy joined simply because the whole situation was a little weird and the atmosphere felt a bit strained. Probably due to the fact that they were clearly dancing around the elephant in the room. 

So they fell into a silence, which Niall didn’t enjoy but also couldn’t change, and he was just playing with his phone and his blanket, not looking at Louis or whatever he was doing. This had nothing to do with the two of them, it was just that Louis was probably well aware that something was up and Niall was doing a terrible job at hiding it and just for a moment, he actually considered just saying it all out loud, just to get it out there and get another opinion, but he could have never done that to Liam, broken his trust like that. Liam was everything to Niall, he would have never gone behind his back for nothing in this world.

“If you don’t wanna talk about it you can just say it, but, um… “ Louis started out of nowhere and Niall felt his heart stopping for a moment before he felt his palms getting sweaty. “I know you’ve never been away from him and that you’re not feeling well because of it and it’s probably even harder because he’s like, you know, _your_ Alpha, as weird as that sounds, but he is and I understand if you miss him and… if you wanna talk about it or if there’s something I can do then… just let me know, okay?” 

“I’ll be fine, uh… it’s just because he only left a few hours ago and there’s still a full week left and yeah, we’ve never been apart, so… but it’ll be okay.” At least for now, for the moment, where Liam was still on that plane and Niall wasn’t by himself and it was still light outside. 

“Okay, but if you change your mind, you know… we can always talk.” Louis told him one more time and actually, Niall was really grateful, he just wished he could have actually taken advantage of that offer and talked to Louis about what was really going on. No that he could have helped him. “Why didn’t you just come along? I mean, Liam’s got a lot of money anyways, right? For the flight, I mean.”

“Uh, well, he won’t have that much time and also, I already skipped a few days at uni now and exams are soon, so… and it’s only a week anyways.” Niall hadn’t expected that question at all, so he was slightly taken aback, hesitating a little while answering and just hoping that Louis hadn’t noticed. But he probably had, even before, or he wouldn’t have asked, because thinking about it, pretending Liam had genuinely gone away just for modelling jobs, it would have made so much more sense for Niall to just come along. “Are you hungry?”

Niall decided to switch the topic as soon as he had noticed how dangerous this conversation was actually starting to become, Louis was already suspicious enough, Niall didn’t need him to ask even more questions and make things worse than they already were.

 

\----------------

 

Louis stayed for a few hours, they made something to eat together and Niall’s mother made sure to ask him a million questions because he barely ever came over anymore and actually, Niall was quite grateful for the distraction. Still, there came a point where Louis said he needed to do some homework, so Niall offered to drive him home in Liam’s car so he wouldn’t have to take the bus again.

On his way home though, Niall already started to feel a little weird again, empty sort of, nothing to fill the silence except the radio and Liam’s smell stuck everywhere in this car wasn’t exactly helping very much either. The older boy still hadn’t landed, but he had managed to sleep a bit, which made Niall both anxious because they couldn’t talk during that time, but he was also relieved because who knew what Liam would have to do once they had landed?

Niall made a pact with himself that he wouldn’t cry anymore until at least tonight, but that was a lot harder to stick to than he had thought. He did force himself to eat dinner with his mom and Liam’s dad, just so he wouldn’t be tempted while he was alone, but sadly they mentioned Liam quite a few times and his mother threw pitying looks at Niall until he finally decided to go upstairs.

It was 11 at night by the time Liam finally found time to call, no Facetime but that was fine because Niall was just lying in Liam’s bed anyways, in complete darkness, wearing his clothes again and having tried to keep it together once the older boy had told him he’d call. 

“Hi, baby.” Liam‘s voice was quiet and soft, sounding different than normally though and it only made Niall realize how little they had actually talked on the phone before because they were always together anyways. 

“Hi. Everything okay?” They had been texting of course, but Niall just wanted to be sure, just wanted to hear Liam actually say it.

“Everything’s fine, we’re in the hotel now. Did you see the pictures I sent you?” Liam was clearly trying to keep this as casual and normal as possible, sending Niall pictures of the city and the hotel room and the younger boy really tried to be enthusiastic for him, but it was slightly hard.

“I did, yeah, I was about to answer when you called. It looks really nice, really expensive.” Truly, and it was scary to think about where the money for that was coming from. “Are you alone in the room or do you have to share?”

“I’m alone but the room is attached to someone else’s, so technically we’re sharing, that’s why I didn’t facetime you.” Liam had said the last part a bit more quietly, as if he was afraid someone might hear him and judging by this whole situation, that wasn’t too unlikely. “But I’m sure there’ll be tons of time to do that, don’t worry, okay? Also, if you wanna go to sleep-“

“I don’t, I’m not even tired.” Niall lied though he was sure he wouldn’t have been able to sleep no matter what so there was that. “It’s only 11 or something… how late is it in New York?”

“Hmm… it’s 6 I think, but I’m still exhausted from the flight, so maybe I won’t be too jetlagged after all if I try to stay awake long enough before sleeping.” Liam laughed a bit and Niall felt chills going through his body, having to take a quick breath so he wouldn’t break out into tears from missing Liam so terribly right now. 

“So… you don’t have to go anywhere tonight?” Niall asked carefully, just because he didn’t think Liam would have told him, but it kinda sounded like he was just going to stay in.

“No, I don’t, I’ll get something to eat but that’s about it, there are no plans for tonight or tomorrow morning. I, um… I can tell you, if there’s something going on but… I don’t know if it’s a good idea if you always know the exact days and times.” For a second, Niall wanted to protest, wanted to tell Liam that of course he needed to know everything, but if he was being honest with himself here… maybe he didn’t wanna know after all, maybe it was better if he just kept on pretending. 

“Yeah, I… I don’t know if I wanna know, actually… Just… if there’s something big going on then please tell me though, or else I’ll just be worrying the whole entire time. Or… or tell me when you don’t have anything to do for a day or so.” Maybe that would be the better way because then there would be days where Niall would only have to miss Liam but not worry too much. Hopefully. 

“I will, okay? I’ll tell you everything you wanna know, I promise.” Liam seemed to really mean it, it was obvious that he felt really guilty still and Niall wished he could have changed that, but all he could really do right now was hope that Liam wasn’t gonna be distracted by any of that once it was time for him to actually fight. “How was it with Louis today?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah, he… he just randomly showed up because I wasn’t at uni and didn’t text back, he stayed for a few hours and we just talked and stuff… and Harry sent me everything they did in our classes today, so… “ Just because Niall knew Liam was a little concerned sometimes about him missing classes. To be fair, that fear wasn’t coming from nowhere, especially since they had started dating Niall felt like uni was the very last thing on his list of priorities. 

“That’s really nice of him. Did you talk to Louis about hanging out again?” Liam was really focused on that, wasn’t he? He just really wanted Niall to have distractions. 

“Yeah, we did, actually, uh, but no fixed day yet, so… “ Niall shrugged to himself though Liam couldn’t have seen him of course, moving a little in bed, which unexpectedly filled his nose with Liam’s scent again and suddenly his throat was all closed up once more. “Did you, um… did you like the food on the plane? It looked really good on the picture, better than what I could ever make for myself.”

“It was alright, yeah. You might not be that good of a cook though, Ni, but you’re a really good assistant.” The older boy told him, laughing softy, which only made Niall wanna cry even more. “Also the cutest assistant anybody could have ever asked for.”

“I ever only stand there and distract you… “ Niall half whispered, but mostly because he was just afraid his voice would break otherwise. He would have given anything right now to have Liam here with him to wrap Niall up in his arms, kiss his cheek and just hold him while they slept. 

“That’s exactly what I’m looking for in an assistant.” Liam joked, but it sounded so fond that the younger boy felt his stomach twisting into knots and then suddenly Liam let out a breath, or a sigh more like, whispering something Niall truly hadn’t expected to hear him admitting right now. “Fuck, I miss you so much… “

“I really miss you too, Li… “ Though Niall’s voice did crack, he somehow kept it together as he just listened to Liam breathing over the phone, keeping his eyes pressed closed as if he could somehow force his tears back inside his body this way. “But, um… it’s only for a few days and… a few nights… “

“Yeah… “ Liam answered after a moment, really surprising Niall by suddenly being so open about how little he wanted to be there right now, but somehow it was also strangely relieving, like… of course Niall knew that this was as hard on Liam as it was on Niall and that he was only ever trying to play strong for the younger boy, but somehow it was also nice to hear just how much he missed Niall. “I don’t even know how I’ll be able to sleep tonight… “

“Me neither… but you gotta try and sleep so you won’t be too tired tomorrow, okay? I probably won’t be able to sleep anyways, so… you can just call me if you can’t sleep and then we can talk.” Niall was trying his hardest here, feeling like their roles had been switched a little but it did make sense somehow because Liam was all alone over there, away from home and from Niall and… god, this whole situation was just bullshit. “Um… are you gonna bring me anything back?”

“Do you want anything?” Liam was clearly surprised by that question, but it made him laugh at least so Niall continued by just pretending to want a ton of things and listing them all, just for the purpose of keeping the conversation light and hearing Liam’s amused laughter.

At some point, Liam had to end the call because he had to go with Zayn and a few others to go get something to eat, but he did promise Niall that he would call if he couldn’t sleep, or if the younger boy texted him that he was still awake. Somehow, Niall felt a little better after the phone call, but that quickly passed once he actively tried to go to sleep.

Liam’s smell was stuck everywhere in these sheets and on the clothes Niall was wearing, but it wasn’t good enough, he was still all alone in this bed and in this room and nothing could have made up for Liam’s absence. Niall didn’t try to fight his tears anymore at some point as he hugged the pillow to his chest, as tightly as somehow possible, somehow not managing to get into a comfortable position though.

It was only when Niall finally gave up and turned on the lights that he noticed the piece of paper stuck between the mattress and the wall and for just a moment, he even forgot to cry as he reached out for it with curiosity, having to blink a few times against the light before being able to read what was written on it.

 

_if you can’t sleep right now or if you’re just taking a nap (or doing the sheets but I think we both know the answer to that ;) ), just know i love you & i’ll be home again soon to tell you that every day <3_

 

For a moment, Niall was confused as hell before he suddenly realized that Liam must have put it there for him at some point before he had left and obviously it only made him cry harder as he let himself fall back against the pillow once more, pressing the piece of paper against his face as if it still smelled like the older boy. Maybe things really would be fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone :)
> 
> i almost cant believe i made it on time again, i surprise myself every week haha! my week was kinda alright despite my internship but im still ALMOST looking forward to uni again. i hope you guys all had a good week too and if you didnt, i hope the next one will be better!
> 
> i also hope you all enjoyed the chapter, i dont wanna give anything away, but something will DEFINITELY happen very soon bc i just live for the drama and its been too quiet and soft for too long :p
> 
> let me know what you think if you want! <3


	18. Chapter 18

Niall kept on finding those little notes the next two days as well, after having been awake two nights in a row and somehow it was really making him feel better, as if Liam had just been here a few moments ago writing all this stuff for Niall. He had no idea when Liam had managed to write and hide all these notes without him noticing, but he was so glad he had. 

It were just little things, just comments in places where Niall usually went to on a daily basis, like in his closet and under his toothbrush and things like that and he tried not to seek them out on purpose just because he really liked to be surprised by them. Still, Niall knew that only two days had passed and that there were still 5 days left until Liam would come back and the notes sadly wouldn’t last until then. 

Also, Liam would have his first fight tonight and Niall was already anxious as hell and it was only freaking Thursday morning, how would he even survive until Liam would text him to tell him how he was doing and that it was over?! Or maybe he wouldn’t text, who knew? Anything could have happened at this point.

“Are you free after uni?” Harry kinda pulled Niall out of his thoughts though they had been sitting next to each other in class for at least 5 minutes by now, both of them having been early.

“Uh, yeah, I think so.” Only question was, did Niall WANT to be free? “Why?”

“Do you want to do something with me and Louis? We haven’t really planned anything yet, but we’re open for anything.” He sounded super enthusiastic somehow, as if he really wanted Niall to say yes, but that was probably just because he was pitying him. Then again, they were friends, so maybe Niall should have been a bit more appreciative, it was just hard for him to think about these things since Liam was gone. 

“That kinda sounds really wrong.” Niall joked, bringing himself to a small laugh and Harry joined shortly after realizing what he had said. “But yeah, we can do whatever, I don’t have anything planned anyways, so… maybe we shouldn’t go hiking though, this time I might die or something.”

“Don’t worry, I doubt Louis would agree to that again and it’s gonna be too late by the time we get done with classes. We still got a few hours to come up with something though, so if you happen to have an idea during one of our thrilling classes… “ The younger boy made some movement with his hand while rolling his eyes and Niall just snorted, their conversation being interrupted as the professor entered the room a few minutes too late as usual. 

It’d be a long day and it was only 9 in the morning, meaning Liam was still asleep, apparently having an easier time with that than Niall. Then again, Niall wouldn’t have known even if he hadn’t because he did usually sleep for a few hours and Liam was 5 hours behind. Also, he doubted the older boy would have called him up in case he had been lying awake and risk waking Niall because he was always very keen on making sure that the younger boy tried to sleep and Niall was the same the other way around. Especially today, because if Liam wasn’t well rested for his fight then he really didn’t wanna know what would happen. 

Niall didn’t have every class with Harry but most of them and he didn’t actually mind at all because at least Harry kept him distracted by talking about virtually anything except Liam other than Louis would have. Niall appreciated both though because even though he wasn’t able to talk about what was going on, at least Louis had offered to listen and had been completely serious about it, which wasn’t that typical for him so that had to mean something. 

They saw Louis for lunch, but neither of them really had an idea what they could do after uni so they just decided to go eat somewhere and Niall simply agreed because it was really whatever at this point. He just needed some kinda distraction and he knew that Liam was really happy about it as well because he reacted almost thrilled once he had woken up and texted Niall back. 

“Why don’t you to take Liam’s car to uni? He left you the keys, right?” Louis asked as they were walking across the parking lot to Harry’s car and luckily Niall had already thought about an excuse for that beforehand or he would have freaked out right about now.

“Yeah, but I don’t really like driving too much, especially with his car because it’s so big and… I don’t know, I don’t wanna accidentally crash into something or so. I’ll drive it to work though I think, on the weekend, because it’s gonna be dark and stuff.” Also, Liam was kinda forcing him to do it and Niall had promised him, so there was that.

“I’d be driving that car everywhere, just so people would see me in it.” Louis commented and Niall rolled his eyes while Harry just let out a sigh. “What? Do you guys not agree that his car is absolutely insane?”

“I don’t know, I mean it’s nice, but… I wouldn’t want a car like that, I’d be scared the whole time that someone would steal it. Also, his insurance must be so freaking high.” Harry was right and Niall felt his stomach drop when he said that out loud because… Liam was in New York right at this second probably preparing to make that money he was using to pay for all this. 

“Okay, when I’m rich in a few year and I’ve got 2 cars like that I’m not letting you drive them.” Louis joked and Niall would have maybe laughed had he not suddenly been really busy worrying about Liam. There were still hours before his fight and he had promised Niall they could talk on the phone before that, but he was still scared already. 

“When you’re rich and you’re gonna waste your money on _two_ cars that you don’t need then I’m leaving you.” Harry shot back, unlocking his own car and interrupting Louis before he had even had the chance to complain. “Where are we going? The mall?”

“Yeah, that’s fine for me.” Niall answered quickly, just because he was actually really hungry for some reason, maybe because he hadn’t been able to eat a lot since Liam had left. Also, he sucked at cooking for himself so there was that. He really was a little dependent on Liam at this point, not dramatically, but it was still noticeable somehow and though Niall knew that maybe all this was different because he was an Omega and Liam was an Alpha, he still wondered whether it was this hard for everybody to be separated from their partner. Even if he ignored the factor that he was also worried for Liam’s well being.

Harry and Louis were still arguing about those cars while Harry was driving and Niall just kept quiet in the back seat, texting Liam and refraining from telling the other two that he had said hi to them because then they would have asked questions and questions were never a good idea, especially not now. 

They went to some fast food place at the mall and Niall ate so much that Louis actually commented on it, but he seemed somehow happy about it, maybe because he had been worried the other boy wouldn’t be eating as much anymore because he was feeling so bad. Well, Niall would probably go right back to that once he was alone again. 

“We should do something fun, it’s only 5 pm. We should go bowling or something.” Bad idea, but who was Niall to complain? “We’ve literally never done that before, have we?”

“I’ve never been bowling in general, so probably not. I don’t know about you guys.” Niall shrugged, somehow wanting to go home but at the same time forcing himself not to say it out loud. There were 10 more hours left until Liam’s fight and he had no idea how he would even survive tomorrow after staying up the whole night or if something happened to the older boy. Maybe even both.

“We’ve never been either, Louis’ not that creative when we go on dates.” That was clearly not directed at Niall, so he shut his mouth, hoping that those two were just teasing and not genuinely having troubles in their relationship because… it would have been weird as fuck had they broken up. 

“ _I’m_ not creative? I always come up with the best ideas, we even went to Disneyland for your birthday.” Louis just said it, probably not thinking it through but Niall was kinda really glad that the other two didn’t even seem to remember their fight back then. 

“My parents had that idea and they also paid for it all.” Harry threw in, shrugging almost in a defending manner when Niall threw a look at him on accident though he had wanted to pretend he wasn’t listening. Would he and Liam have small fights like that after they had been dating for a while? It kinda seemed a bit unrealistic to Niall, mostly because they had way worse problems and Liam was just… he was literally perfect.

“Whatever. We always go on completely normal dates, I don’t know what you classify as being creative, I mean, do you and Liam go on such mind blowing dates, Ni?” The question had come a bit out of nowhere and Niall felt his cheeks getting hot all of a sudden as he looked down while they were walking across the mall, back to the parking lot.

“No, I don’t know… usually we just go eat or something and we go on walks a lot, so… but we don’t go on that many dates because we live in the same house, so it’s like… different.” In short, they were on top of each other 24/7 and they didn’t really need to go on too many dates because they did everything together anyways. Explained why Niall was missing the older boy so terribly much, pretty much every second of the day.

“Right, I totally forgot you live together as well… so you don’t actually use your own room anymore then?” No idea why this was important now, but honestly, it didn’t matter anymore because as soon as any of them mentioned Liam, Niall was already sad so it made no difference if they kept talking about him.

“Not really, no… sometimes when Liam’s not home or something then I study in my own room, but not always.” Niall had really kinda moved into the older boy’s room thinking about it, he also slept there every night even with Liam gone. Or especially since he was gone because the sheets still smelled like him. “It’s just a completely different situation.”

“True… you’re already like a married couple.” Louis probably said it to cheer Niall up, but he wasn’t doing a very good job at that somehow. 

When Niall just shrugged, the other boy seemed to get the hint and made sure to change the topic again quickly, for which Niall was kinda grateful, but it was also a bit too late anyways because he already felt like shit. Plus, he really didn’t wanna go bowling anymore now, but he had already agreed and he knew it was better for him to be out and about than to cry in bed by himself. He’d have enough time for that later.

As expected, both Harry and Niall were an absolute disaster at bowling while Louis was having the time of his life, still complaining about the other two not trying hard enough though he was clearly proud about how much better his skills were. Also, it was obvious he didn’t want them to get better because he gave them no tips whatsoever and neither of them asked.

“I kinda regret this… he’s gonna wanna go bowling all the time now.” Harry whispered to Niall while they were waiting for Louis to get done with his turn and the other boy just nodded in sympathy, making a mental note to tell Liam about how much he hated bowling, just so he’d be safe from future potential double dates. “Are you enjoying this?”

“No.” Niall told the other boy truthfully after hesitating for a moment and at least Harry seemed relieved by that because they were in the same situation right now. Not that it was that bad or anything, Niall could have just thought of a few better things to do, like crying in Liam’s bed and wearing his hoodies for example. “But I think w-“

“It’s your turn, Ni.” Louis interrupted and Niall refrained from rolling his eyes, he just threw another glance at Harry before forcing himself to get up and get it over with. “Maybe try hitting something this time.”

“Maybe try not being a dick for five seconds.” Niall shot back, but it only made his friend laugh but if Niall was being honest then he really didn’t care anymore. 

It all went like expected, Niall and Harry kinda gave up on trying too hard and Louis was enjoying the hell out of it and when they were almost done, Niall swore to himself that he would never again enter a bowling alley in his life. Turned out though that there were even more reasons to stay away from these places than just the fact that he hated bowling.

“We should do this again sometime, it was a lot more fun than I thought.” Louis suggested as they were collecting their things and Niall kept quiet on purpose, deciding that Harry could handle this, it was HIS boyfriend after all. “I mean, you guys are kinda terrible at it, but with a little bit of training… “

“I mean… I’m not sure if-“

Harry never got the chance to finish though, and not because Louis interrupted him with a hundred arguments as to why they really needed to go bowling more often, but a much, much worse reason than that.

“Aren’t you Niall Horan?” Niall’s head shot up when he heard the unfamiliar voice saying his name, his stomach immediately turning because of how unexpected it had been and for just a second, he thought about simply saying no. But there was no reason to.

“’course he is, I know him.” The second of two guys told the other one and Niall was still too confused to connect the dots at this point, he was just staring at these two people, not being able to grasp a clear thought. 

“Who, uh, who are you?” Niall finally asked, trying to take a subtle step back to be closer to Harry and Louis, who were equally as confused as him probably because what the hell?

They didn’t answer immediately, they just shared a look and then one of them started grinning and the moment he spoke up, Niall wanted to throw up all over himself. “We work with your boyfriend.”

“So you’re also m-“

“I don’t have a boyfriend.” Niall interrupted Louis immediately, as loudly and quickly as possible, feeling the blood rushing in his ears from the adrenaline, fear filling his entire body. Fuck, fuck, fuck, he was so screwed, even if those guys believed him… Harry and Louis would demand answers now.

“Sure, you don’t. Doesn’t happen to be Liam Payne, right? It’s an open secret by now, don’t know why he’s trying to hide you, you’re not even that ugly.” What the fuck?! “Anyways, we didn’t come over to start something, we simply wanted to say hi. Since you’re kinda part of the family now and everything… although, I see he hasn’t had the guts to bite you yet. Sounds like him.”

“I-I… I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Niall lied poorly, with his face flushed as hell, stupidly enough having started scratching his neck the moment this guy had mentioned the non existent bite mark. Shit, what was Niall supposed to do now?! 

“Well, if you wanna insist on that… whatever. At least now I know why Liam’s been so distracted and rebellious lately.” Was that… a bad thing?

“Has he been though?” The other guy asked and now they weren’t even talking to Niall anymore and he truly wished he could have just woken up and found out that this was all just a nightmare. That Louis had hit him in the head with a bowling ball or something. 

“Yeah, he keeps on trying to talk himself out of stuff, haven’t you noticed? I immediately knew he probably found himself some Omega, and then the new kid said he saw them together a bit ago, now it all makes sense. Well, anyways, we just wanted to say hi, send our greetings to New York when you talk to your boyfriend next time.” And then they left, clearly loving the fact that they had caught Niall so off guard, in front of his friends, and Niall couldn’t even say a word as he watched them go. Even if he had had said something, it wouldn’t have changed anything.

The secret was out, everybody knew and Liam had no idea. 

“I… what the fuck was that even?” Louis blurted out after a few moments of silence which Niall used to try and fight his tears. He couldn’t tell Liam now, it’d only distract him from his fight and… fuck, what was he supposed to do now?!

“Nothing, um… just some guys that work for the same model agency as Liam and-“

“And they can’t know he’s your boyfriend, because… ?” The other boy asked and honestly at this point, Niall didn’t even know what to say anymore. “And why’s Liam trying to talk himself out of stuff, isn’t modelling his job? I thought he enjoyed it a-“

“You don’t even know him that well.” Niall snapped, because that’s what he did whenever he didn’t know what to say, he got upset and moody and usually stormed off. “Liam just hasn’t told anybody about us yet and… he doesn’t like the people he works with too much and… so whatever. I didn’t wanna be the one to decide when they find out, they are his colleagues, not mine.”

“But… that literally makes no sense at all.” Right, because Niall was just making all this up as he went, now simply starting to walk towards the exit of the building while the other two followed automatically.

“Lou, he doesn’t wanna talk about it, just let him be.” Harry, thankfully, the only one with a bit of empathy. Or maybe he saw the tears building up in Niall’s eyes or had seen the text message he was staring at that he still hadn’t answered, Liam haven’t sent him about ten heart emojis asking how bowling had been. Shit. 

“I would, but I’m bloody worried. I mean… these guys, they didn’t even look like models first of all, I don’t know who would wanna photograph them, but clearly not the same people who wanna book Liam. Also, what family? Is this like… a cult? I mean, what the fuck is even going on, Niall?” The thing was, Niall really got it, Louis freaking out and being suspicious and shit, but that didn’t mean he could have changed anything about this situation. The fact that he needed to keep quiet, although… did it really still matter at this point? If the other secret was out as well?

“It’s not a cult, okay? And I don’t know why they are models, I don’t care. Liam didn’t want us to tell them and he doesn’t see them a lot anyways, so… that’s all there is to it, can we just drop it?” There was no way he would drop it.

“He sure has a lot of weird ass friends though, what about the guy who we randomly saw on the streets in the middle of the night after we went on a double date the first time? And how he told Liam not to turn on his phone?! Also, wasn’t that the same guy who came to you at uni once and demanded to speak to you alone and-“

“Louis, stop.” Niall stopped walking in the middle of the sidewalk after they had left the building, his heart beating so damn fast and his body filling with so much panic that he wasn’t even sure how he managed to keep on breathing at this point. “I don’t wanna talk about it, okay? Trust me, you don’t wanna know these people or who they are or what they do. Just drop it.”

“Wait… what do you mean by that? What do they do?” Shit. 

“Nothing, okay? Just-“

“I can’t just drop it, you’re my friend, I’m worried. I mean, Liam seems really sweet and nice and all, but it seems there’s a shit ton of stuff going down in private and I just want you to be alright. And you don’t seem alright, _at all_ , like no offence, but it’s obvious how miserable you are without Liam and it really just makes me wonder why you didn’t just go with him to New York, I mean, why stay back? For a few uni days when you skip all the time anyways? C’mon, Ni, I’m not gonna buy that.” Okay, since when was Louis this observant? Even Harry didn’t say anything anymore after that, as if he suddenly agreed with Louis and now also wanted answers.

Niall quickly realized after some hesitation that there was no way that he could get out of this with even more lies, they wouldn’t buy them anymore, they were looking right through him and… the really sad part was, they just wanted the best for Niall, they were simply worried, Louis especially. But Niall still couldn’t tell them the truth, not here and maybe not ever, not without talking to Liam first and he also couldn’t do that because he’d risk the older’s life by breaking the news to him before his fight.

Now Niall was truly on his own, at least for a few hours, and he had no single clue how to deal with it because he had never expected things to blow up in his face like that, so suddenly and randomly.

“I can’t tell you.” Was all Niall settled for in the end, trying to take deep breaths and calm himself down, talking as normally as possible because they were out in public after all and who knew, these two guys might have come back at any point. 

“Why? Did Liam tell you that?” Louis somehow seemed to think that Liam was a bad person now or something, or that he was treating Niall badly and that was the very last thing Niall wanted anyone to believe because it couldn’t have been further from the truth.

“It’s not about what Liam wants, okay? Liam’s the best person I know and I love him and I know he loves me too and… it’s not what you’re implying, not at all. He’d do anything for me… to keep me safe.” Niall added the last part because he was hoping Louis would get the hint that this wasn’t something they should have talked about, that it was something private and maybe even dangerous, but of course, he didn’t get the hint in any way. 

“You’re not making any sense, I mean what is this here? Is Liam a drug dealer or some shit? Because it sure as hell sounds like it and those guys looked like it too. If he is then-“

“He’s not, okay? Can you please stop, Lou? I can’t and I won’t tell you anything. It’s for your own good, just... trust me.” But how could anybody have ever trusted Niall though, when all he did was just lie? “Everything is fine.”

“I mean, clearly nothing is fine at all and you’re a mess, but okay, if you don’t wanna talk about it I’m gonna accept that, just know I’m really worried.” Great. 

“I’m not a mess.” Niall defended himself pointlessly, kinda thinking about taking the bus home but then they had already reached Harry’s car and it were only a few more minutes before Niall would be home, by himself, and probably suffer from a complete break down. What the fuck was he supposed to do?

There was no answer, from neither Louis nor Harry, and maybe that was answer enough.

The drive home was the most uncomfortable Niall had ever experienced because nobody said a word except for Harry, who tried twice to break the tension without success and then simply gave up and instead turned on the radio to maybe try and save a little bit of the awkwardness. Not that there was anything left to save really.

Louis was clearly pissed off or upset or whatever and Niall got it because he knew how obvious it was that he was lying to them and keeping secrets, that he had been doing it for months. And if their positions had been switched, he would have been worried as well and he would have gotten upset too if he had found out Louis was just lying to him and avoiding questions. It’s just… what was Niall supposed to do, really? 

“Thanks for driving me, um… see you tomorrow?” Niall tried as he got out of the car and Louis pretended not to notice or something, but at least Harry managed to smile.

“No problem, see you tomorrow.” The younger boy confirmed before Niall threw the car door closed, not even looking back because there wasn’t really a point. It was unusual for Louis to just stop asking and stop pushing, just give in and accept when Niall said something, so that kinda scared the other boy if he was being honest with himself.

Not as much as the encounter with Liam’s… colleagues? But there was literally nothing Niall could have done or said, they had already known it and from what it had sounded like, everybody else already knew as well and Niall couldn’t tell Liam because the older boy needed to be focused and everything was just shit. Plus, Niall was a terrible fucking liar and at this point, he wasn’t even sure anymore if his best friend had kinda given up on him for real this time.

 

\-------------------

 

“Payne. Where are you going?”

“My hotel room?” Liam had stopped dead on upon hearing the voice behind him, throwing a quick glance at Zayn, who just kept walking as if nothing had happened while Liam wanted to actually bang his head into a wall as he turned around.

“Come back to mine. We need to talk.” The man told him and Liam just nodded but inside, he was panicking. The fight was over, he had won and he had already texted Niall that everything was fine and that he would call him as soon as possible, but deep inside, Liam had known that just because he had won, it didn’t mean he had done well. 

Standing next to his boss in the elevator, neither of them spoke a word and Liam just kept on staring straight ahead, feeling a few bruises on his body aching but he couldn’t and wouldn’t bring any attention to them in front of anybody, especially not his boss. At least Liam would be able to hide the bruises from Niall if they facetimed later, even though that was nothing to be happy about, mostly because it hadn’t been Liam’s last fight on this trip. It was only Thursday night, in the middle of the night or early morning for Niall, who had told Liam there was no way he’d sleep before they had talked on the phone despite the older boy trying to talk him into it. Of course he wasn’t just going to sleep.

“Do you need some ice?” The man asked as they entered his hotel room, or his suite more like, they were on the top floor now, but Liam tried not to be impressed as he declined politely, trying to walk as normally as possible. He had changed his clothes, but he hadn’t showered or anything, so he also didn’t sit down until his boss pointed to one of the couches, the door falling closed rather noticeably behind Liam. There was no need to be this nervous, but somehow he still was. “Sit.”

So Liam did, not saying anything but rather watching the man pouring himself a glass of whatever he had in that bottle, emptying it before filling it again, as if they were in some stupid movie or something. Liam hated this, he hated every one to one conversation with his boss, but especially when he was behaving like this, as if Liam had gone behind his back or something. As if he would have ever dared to do that. 

“Did you enjoy the fight tonight?” He finally asked while looking out of the window front and Liam had a few more seconds to keep his face relaxed before his boss would be looking at him again. 

“It was hard.” Liam told him honestly, because it was true and because he had definitely struggled but also because he hoped it would make him less of a safe bet. He didn’t wanna be the reliable one anymore, the one who always won with ease, he’d never get out of this if he kept on being the best. 

“It was supposed to be hard, there’d be no point in it if it were easy, I could have sent anybody in in that case.” Then there was a moment of silence, just a heartbeat or two, and Liam just knew that it was coming now when his boss turned around to look at him as he slowly came over. “You didn’t give your best, you could have knocked that guy right out, but you were trying to avoid getting hit too much and it made you look inexperienced. Why?”

“I tried my best, sir, the jetlag-“

“No, you didn’t. I’ve known you for too long and I’ve noticed you change over the years, but especially lately. So what’s going on?” Fuck.

“Nothing, I… I’m just stressed out sometimes.” That wasn’t a lie, but Liam’s red face was probably giving him away anyways, plus he could barely sit still now when his boss sat opposite him, emptying his second glass. If he got drunk, then Liam would never get out of here in one piece. “And especially now, I haven’t slept well and the plane and… I’m sorry.”

“I’m not talking about this trip though. I’m talking about before the trip, when your phone was turned off, when you constantly made up family emergencies as if you’re 7 years old and skipping school or something. I don’t like that, you used to be reliable and you have the potential, so what’s stopping you?” Did he know? What if somebody had told him?

“I’ve… I’ve been distracted lately. With uni, I’m almost done, it’s my last year and then I also have the modelling on the side and it all just gets a bit much sometimes, especially when I’m gone until 2 or 3 in the morning and can’t sleep.” Again, not a lie, but also not even close to the truth and Liam just knew that he wasn’t going to get away with it, but he had to at least try.

“Let me put it this way, Liam, since you don’t seem to understand what is actually at stake here. I’m giving you the chance right now to tell me the truth yourself because I feel like we always had a good connection and you used to be one of the few who were actually in this with everything they’ve got. I’m offering that we can try to find a solution for this, but if you’re gonna sit here and just lie to my face then I wouldn’t wanna be you once we get back home.” That was it, Liam was dead.

Instead of saying anything at all, Liam just stared at his boss with his mouth half dropped, not knowing what to do and not being able to grasp a clear thought. He couldn’t tell him about Niall, if he did then there was no way he’d be able to keep the younger boy safe anymore, but if he didn’t say anything about him and denied everything… Liam didn’t even want to know what would happen then. It surely wouldn’t keep Niall safe either, that was for sure.

“I’ll make it easy for you. I’m gonna go and fill this glass up again, and if you haven’t started talking by the time I’m back, then I’d say you had a fair shot and you wasted it and are aware of the consequences.” And with that, he simply got up and Liam wanted to throw up right then and there, but he had to keep up that façade, had to pretend like it was no big deal. 

Still, he didn’t bring out a word for a moment, couldn’t decide this quickly, and then, when his boss had almost made his way back to the couch again, Liam just blurted out with it, after some very graphic imagination of what would happen to Niall if he lied. “I’m in a relationship.”

“With who?” The man asked, not even stopping in his movements, as if he wasn’t surprised and also didn’t even care while Liam was over here dying inside. He couldn’t believe he had done this, behind Niall’s back, without even having talked to him in fucking hours except for text messages.

“My… my step brother.” Liam didn’t even feel weird saying it out loud because he had just ruined everything anyways. It just seemed he hadn’t actually known how bad things had already gotten behind the scenes without him noticing when his boss spoke up again, without even hesitating.

“Niall is his name, no? I’ve heard the rumors, normally I don’t believe them, but since they came directly from Zayn… “ Wait…

“Zayn, uh… Zayn told you? About Niall?” Liam suddenly felt dizzy as hell and even though his entire body was rebelling against it… why couldn’t he help but immediately believe it?

“Why? Did you tell him not to?” The man asked with his eyebrows pulled up and Liam wanted to punch him in the face for being so fucking smug, for having known it for god knows how long and just waiting for the right moment to pay Liam back. 

“No, I didn’t.” Liam answered, clenching his jaw as he struggled to keep his face somewhat relaxed, but it seemed impossible. 

“But you were trying to keep it a secret though, weren’t you?” He knew it anyways, he knew everything, so why were they still pretending? 

“No, it’s just fairly new, we didn’t go around telling people.” Another lie, but at least one that Liam thought sounded somewhat believable. Or that would have sounded believable had he not gotten himself into this damn fucking situation by fighting this badly. Then again, his boss had already known for way longer, so Liam couldn’t have done anything to stop him from saying something at some point anyways. Thanks to Zayn, the fucking traitor.

“I understand. Are you bonded?” This time, Liam had no idea if he knew or not, because actually, it would have been impossible for anybody to tell whether they were bonded or not because Liam could have put that mark anywhere on Niall’s body.

“Yes. He’s my soulmate.” Liam knew why he said it, because it made Niall more untouchable, because if he got hurt and they had been bonded and were soulmates, it would have automatically affected Liam as well and that was clearly not what his boss wanted. For some reason, Liam still seemed valuable to him and it was the only hope Liam was clinging onto.

“So I’m sure it’s hard being away from him?” Oh god, where was this going? “I tell you what, Liam, and I’ll be completely honest with you since you were honest with me too. I’m a bit bored on this trip already and we don’t have that many interesting fights lined up, so… I was thinking, maybe we could switch things up a bit and I’ll give you a reward in return. Not money this time.”

“Um… switch them up how?” Did Liam even wanna know?

“Let’s say…. Let’s say I let you go home early, put you on a flight tomorrow and you just gotta do one more fight.” Upon hearing this, Liam was immediately straightening up, his heartbeat increasing and his boss clearly noticed but Liam didn’t even care anymore. He’d do anything to go home early, and his boss knew that.

“What fight?” Liam asked, but in his mind, he had already decided, without even hearing the answer first. And maybe, just maybe, after hearing everything he had just heard, maybe he wasn’t even that opposed to it anymore.

“You gotta fight and you have to make it believable this time, really give everything you have and impress me. I want you to fight against Zayn.”

 

\-------------------

 

“How’s Liam doing?” Niall’s mother was up making breakfast, apparently not having noticed just how fucking wrecked Niall looked sitting on one of the bar stools in the kitchen after staying up the whole entire night, not even knowing anymore what to think or what to do. 

He still hadn’t told Liam, hell, he hadn’t even talked to him properly after his fight, the older boy had just called him briefly, telling him he was completely fine and that everything would be okay and when Niall had thought he could be relieved for a moment, Liam had dropped yet another bomb. Another fight, apparently his last one, but Niall didn’t have to worry because Liam would call him immediately afterwards. That had been hours ago.

“Good, I guess.” Niall answered, not even feeling the need to cry anymore as he lied shamelessly because what the hell? For all he knew, Liam was in hospital right now, he wasn’t answering calls or texting back and neither was Zayn and Niall didn’t know anybody else who was there with them of course and… shit, he hadn’t even told Liam about those guys yesterday, he should have warned him, maybe something had happened? Maybe somebody had said something. “He’s really busy.”

“I can imagine that. But he still calls you, yeah?” She asked as if she was trying to make sure, turning around to see Niall nod while playing with the spoon in his cereal. Since Liam had left, Niall had gone back to his old habits rather quickly, mostly because he was a terrible cook and also lazy as hell though. “Niall, he will be back soon, it’s already Friday, there are only a few more days left.”

“I know, it’s not that. I’m just tired.” Not a lie, Niall could have slept in while sitting down, but he needed to stay awake and get it the fuck together for the moment Liam called or texted him. He just had to. 

“Are you sure?” Niall’s mother had finished making her toast now so she came over, clearly keeping an eye on the boy and Niall just had no energy left to come up with some shit story.

“I… I had a fight with Louis last night, but we’ll figure it out.” They hadn’t spoken since yesterday, not a word, not even a single text, and although Harry had sent something in their groupchat, the other two had ignored it because it would have just been weird to pretend like nothing had happened. Everything was going wrong now, and Niall had no idea how to stop things from falling apart even further. 

“Oh dear. About what?” Niall should have known she was going to ask, but the thing was, he didn’t even fucking care anymore, didn’t even get nervous.

“Something really stupid, it’s not that important, I just… now I don’t have anyone to hang out with until Liam comes back, um… but I gotta work tonight and tomorrow anyways, so I’ll be distracted, I guess.” If Niall made it to work at all, because he wasn’t that sure honestly, just the thought of simply going to uni and being physically present in class without having heard from Liam was already killing Niall inside. Something had happened, he could feel it.

“I’m sure you can work it out with Louis, just talk to him, I know he couldn’t be mad at you for long, especially if it wasn’t anything important.” Oh, if she only knew. 

“Yeah… I’m gonna try.” Or maybe he wouldn’t, maybe he’d just go sit in Liam’s car and drive somewhere and just wait for something to happen, for Liam to call or text, for Louis to say something and demand that Niall talked to him just like always. But somehow Niall had a bad feeling that none of that would happen anytime soon. “I’m gonna go upstairs and change.”

“Okay… are you sure you’re alright, love?” His mother asked after Niall had put away his cereal bowl and spoon and he actually tried to put up a fake smile for her as he told her one more time that he simply hadn’t slept that well tonight. Not at all, more like. 

Niall didn’t actually know how he managed to go upstairs and change his clothes and pack his backpack without crying, but maybe he had run out of tears, just like he had run out of notes from Liam and though Niall had kept them all of course and was reading through them a lot more than probably normal… it wasn’t helping anymore. It was just making things even worse than they already were. 

Just because his mother didn’t know his uni schedule by heart anyways and Liam’s dad had already left, Niall waited until he was alone in the house before deciding to skip at least the first two lectures because there was no attendance list anyways.

Instead, he did something much more thrilling, which was sitting on the floor in Liam’s room, staring at his silent phone and trying to call the older boy at least 3 more times. Nothing, but his phone was clearly turned off at some point, and it was the same with Zayn’s, which meant that either they were both busy, or they had both lost their phones, or… or they had both gotten hurt and Niall would never even find out until days later probably. Or maybe never.

At some point, Niall truly thought he was going to go insane or something, the tears were suddenly starting to build up again and keeping Liam’s shirt pressed to his face wasn’t really making things easier either. So instead, Niall decided to go on a walk, even though going outside was the last thing he wanted to do right now, he still forced himself to get up and get his shoes on and go walk up that hill behind the house. With only crying one time. 

He had come here with Liam more often lately, just lying on the swing together, holding hands and looking at the sky and Niall had never noticed how much wind there was up here with Liam next to him. How uncomfortable that swing actually was and how the view wasn’t actually that pretty either, but it had to do for now and it was only early in the morning, so whatever.

Niall didn’t know how long he had been lying on that swing with his eyes closed, almost falling asleep around 500 times only to be jerking fully awake when he received a message on his phone, having made sure to put it on loud hours ago. The disappointment filling him upon reading the message though was only slightly inappropriate.

 

_Louis 09:48  
Look, im sorry for how I acted yesterday, I know its none of my business. I am really worried about you though & I know youre probably pissed off, but harry told me youre skipping uni again today, so could you please just tell me if youre ok or not?_

 

See, Niall didn’t even deserve any friends at all, he could have texted Louis as well and instead he had just been home and upset about yesterday and looking for excuses. Well, to be fair, his boyfriend was on a completely different continent, probably hurt and incapable of using his phone, so there was also that.

Niall didn’t even think about it when he texted back, all his anger having long vanished.

 

_To Louis 09:50  
Everything is fine, im just on a walk. Im sorry as well_

 

Not sure what Niall was sorry for exactly, maybe for everything, for the way he was, for the fact that he was such a terrible fucking friend and a liar. 

Louis did text back, telling Niall that they could just pretend last night hadn’t happened, that he wasn’t upset anymore and that they could talk about anything if the other boy wanted to, which almost made Niall cry yet again. He didn’t though, mostly because there were worse things going on right now that acquired his full attention. 

Or not, considering nothing ever happened.

 

\--------------------

 

“Liam? Liam, get up, mate, we gotta get out of here.” The voices had become a blur in the background, all Liam could hear clearly was the ringing in his ears as he spit out more blood, his vision blurry and his mouth tasting like metal. “C’mon, you’re fine, you won.”

Liam didn’t know who it was that somehow pulled him to his feet, all he knew was that his whole body was aching and that he could barely grasp a clear thought. Fuck, he could barely even remember the last few minutes, or maybe even hours, he just knew that everything hurt and that he needed to get home, to Niall. “What… what about Z-“

“Don’t worry about him, it doesn’t matter, he lost.” It was one of the other guys who simply pulled Liam with him, half carrying him actually and Liam didn’t have the energy to keep on asking or to resist, he couldn’t even look around the room to see if he had gotten Zayn good or not or who was even there or where the boss was. “That was one hell of a fight, I thought you guys were best friends or something.”

“Zayn’s a fucking traitor.” Liam half spit out, the ringing in his ears and his vision becoming a bit better as they stepped out into the cold night air, not even caring anymore if he was giving anything away with that or not. “Where’s my phone? And my stuff?”

“The boss has it, he said you wouldn’t need it during the fight anyways.” Fuck.

“I need my fucking phone, where is he?!” Liam tried looking around, but no one was there, he could still hear voices from inside the building, but this guy was just pulling him towards a car. “I’m not getting into that car.”

“I think you should. You wanted to go home, didn’t you? It’ll take you to the airport, ‘m sure you’re gonna get your stuff there, I wasn’t told anything, just to get you out as soon as the fight is over.” The other guy almost sounded apologetic, immediately letting go of Liam’s arm when he pulled it away kinda aggressively, not knowing what to do anymore. He needed to call Niall, needed to let him know he was okay and that he’d be home soon and… and that everything would be fine. “Listen, mate, we’re both gonna get in some deep trouble if you don’t get into that car.”

It was probably a stupid idea, but Liam just looked at this guy, one of the new ones, thinking about putting up a fight, but then he decided not to. It’s not like he had a choice. “You made a terrible fucking decision letting yourself get pulled into all this shit.”

Without waiting for an answer, Liam somehow climbed into the backseat of the car with his whole body rebelling, pulling the door closed behind him and not even bothering trying to speak to the driver because he knew he had been told to keep quiet. 

Liam had no idea where this car was going, whether it was to the airport or not, but he honestly didn’t even care anymore at this point because he was having a hard time just trying to stay awake and stay conscious. It could have been any time by now, Liam probably hadn’t talked to Niall in bloody hours, but he didn’t know because there was no clock anywhere.

Of course he had agreed to fight against Zayn, all the details had escaped Liam’s mind though, it had all gone over in a blur, them fighting verbally first about Zayn ratting Liam and Niall out and then physically and… at this point, Liam could have done anything to the other boy and he wouldn’t have even known. He also wasn’t sure if he still cared because he could have fallen asleep right at this second and slept for a whole day probably. But Niall.

To Liam’s surprise, the driver did get him to the airport, but to a side entrance and Liam almost didn’t make it out of the car when it stopped because not only did his entire body hurt but he was also exhausted beyond anything. 

“You look rough.” Liam didn’t need to look up to recognize the voice of course, he had heard it way too many times, that same tone, but at least he was able to tell right away that his boss wasn’t angry with him, not this time. “Get in here, we need to get you fixed up before you go on a plane.”

“I can really go home?” Was this even real? 

“A deal is a deal, isn’t it? You and Zayn definitely put on a show, that’s for sure.” They walked in through a backdoor or something, Liam wasn’t paying too much attention, his vision was blurry once a while and he could barely concentrate on every word his boss said. Fuck, he had never in his life felt this close to just falling asleep while literally walking. “I’d be surprised if any of the guys dare to just look at you the wrong way again after seeing what you just did to your best friend.”

“He’s not my friend.” Not anymore.

There was no answer, the other man just let out a short laugh before leading Liam into a separate room, where, much to Liam’s joy and also surprise, all his stuff had been brought, plus his phone. And obviously, Liam immediately knew what that meant, even before his boss spoke up. “Very sweet that boy of yours.”

“He, um… he texted?” Liam tried to play dumb, tried to pretend his heart wasn’t beating faster than ever before as he grabbed his phone, only to be disappointed when he saw that it had run out of battery. Fuck, how much worse could this whole situation actually get?! 

“At least 20 times. He also called, seems very worried about you. Did you tell him everything?” There was no point in lying anymore, was there? The truth was out, Zayn had made sure of that, and he had probably gotten god knows what in return, Liam didn’t even fucking wanna know anymore. 

“Yeah… we don’t keep things from each other.” Liam admitted, uselessly trying to turn on his phone. “Um… you don’t happen to have a charger?”

“I’ve got someone coming to fix you up and then you’re free to go and buy whatever. Here is your plane ticket, go home, see your boy, rest, I’m going to call you when we’re back as well.” Obviously his boss ignored the charger question, but he handed Liam a plane ticket that caused Liam to shut up completely for a moment, almost not being able to believe it. “And Payne, one more thing. If you ever try to keep secrets again, don’t expect to be let off as easily as this time because next time, I might feel like introducing myself to your Omega, who knows, he seems very sweet and I know where he lives.”

He left Liam with that, feeling sick to his stomach and actually having to swallow hard to make sure he wouldn’t throw up all over the floor. Of course Liam had his own fucking charger, but there were no sockets anywhere in this room and also, it’s not like those few more minutes still mattered, he had already screwed up big time and Niall probably hated him. 

The doctor his boss had paid to come in didn’t really talk to Liam either much like the driver, he just fixed him up as good as possible, bandaging his entire hand that Liam hadn’t even noticed anymore had been completely scratched open. If he came home like this, Niall would never believe another word he said, but he probably wouldn’t anyways and it’s not like Liam would have deserved it after all this shit.

Liam actually took a few seconds just sitting there by himself before getting his stuff and leaving the room to go charge his phone somewhere and then get on this goddamn plane and back home to his boy because nothing else mattered anymore.

 

\-----------------------

 

Niall decided to go back home after an hour or two of lying on that swing, once more having run out of tears, but definitely not out of worries. Something had happened to Liam, and Niall needed to know what and he needed to do something or he would literally go fucking insane. Only problem was, the only other number he had was Zayn’s and he wasn’t picking up either nor was he texting back, so… obviously that only left these guys from last night, but how would Niall have ever found them again? 

He could have asked Louis and Harry for help, but that would have required for him to tell them the truth and Niall couldn’t do that because he would have gone behind Liam’s back and he didn’t even know if Liam would have ever found out about it because he had probably gotten hurt really badly and Niall’s life was basically over and-

And then Niall’s self pity got interrupted by his phone going off in his hands and he almost dropped it onto the hard ground, which would have been fucking typical. He didn’t though, and he actually half expected it to be his mother calling him or maybe Louis or maybe even his grandma or something, but it wasn’t, it was Liam. And Niall had never been this relieved in his entire life.

“Li?! Are you okay?!” Niall had stopped walking in the middle of the sidewalk, his heart almost jumping out of his chest as he waited for the older boy to answer, barely being able to wait to finally hear his voice again. 

“I’m f-“

“What happened?! You didn’t call me for hours and I texted you and- I thought you were dead, I… I was so worried, oh my god, Li, is everything really okay?!” He just couldn’t help it, because something had to have happened for Liam to have ignored him for this long and Niall wasn’t sure anymore if he even wanted to know or if it’d just make everything worse. After all, he had yet to tell Liam about yesterday’s events as well. 

“I’m so sorry, love, I’m going to explain everything to you, I promise, I’m completely fine, okay? My phone ran out of charge and I’m only on about 5 percent or something, but I had to leave because… my boss is letting me come home early.” When Liam said it, Niall wasn’t even able to fully take it in at first, but he could have sworn he heard the smile in Liam’s voice when he said it, even though he sounded really tired and exhausted at the same time.

“Wait…. W-What?!” Was he being for real right now?!

“Yeah, I’m getting on the plane right now, I would have told you earlier but I couldn’t, I wasn’t even sure if it was true or not until he gave me the plane ticket. I’ll be at the airport by about midnight, but I can take a tax-“

“I’m leaving work early, I’ll be there, I- of course I’ll be there, Li, oh my god, I… is this for real? It’s not like… a joke?” That would have been one cruel fucking joke, but Niall honestly didn’t even know what to think anymore. 

“Baby, I would never ever joke about this.” Liam sounded really serious when he said it, and Niall almost felt bad for asking, but honestly, nothing in this world could have made him any less happy right now, Liam was coming home, everything would be fine now. At least that’s what Niall thought in the moment. “I’m sorry. For everything.”

“It wasn’t your choice, none of it, you don’t have to apologize, I’m just so fucking happy you’re coming home and… I can’t wait to see you, I can’t sleep without you and I was so worried the whole time and… fuck, I don’t even know how I’m gonna survive until midnight.” Niall couldn’t help but let out a breathless laugh, not because he thought it was funny or anything, but actually because he felt like crying right now. It was obvious that something was wrong, hell, he himself was keeping secrets from Liam, but he didn’t give a fuck right now. “Why’s he just letting you go home early?”

“I, uh… I did him a favor, kind of, and… I’m going to tell you everything when I’m home, I promise, it’s just… I think it’s something we should talk about when I’m back home.” Alright, this didn’t sound like it was a good thing, but Niall also didn’t wanna push Liam and right now he was just glad that he would come home and then whatever else happened, they would somehow deal with it, they always did. 

“Okay… I love you.” Niall just felt the urge to tell him somehow, he hadn’t told him since last night before his first fight when they had talked on the phone, and Niall just wanted Liam to know, that no matter what, he still loved him and he’d be right here waiting for him. 

“I love you too, baby… “ The older boy mumbled into the phone and Niall felt goosebumps down his spine as he tried to quietly take a few breaths, calm himself down and keep on walking back home because he was still just standing around in the middle of the sidewalk. “If the connection cuts off it’s because my phone ran out of battery, but I can give you the flight number so you’ll know if there are any delays or so.”

Obviously Niall agreed to that and they talked for another 5 minutes or so before Liam’s phone did indeed run out of charge and Niall felt his stomach drop at an instant, but at the same time, at least that meant that the older boy would hopefully try to sleep on the plane because it sounded as if he had been up until now. Also, at least now Niall knew that Liam must have been somewhat alright because he was able to travel by himself and in a few more hours, he would be all Niall’s again. 

And then, after the first euphoria had worn off, Niall would have to tell Liam about what had happened last night, and then the older boy would tell him why in god’s name his boss had simply sent him home and what favor it was that he had done for him and… somehow, Niall had a really bad feeling that all of this would have much worse consequences than he was able to imagine right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone :)
> 
> so first of all, im really happy were back in the drama i missed it more than i thought haha! secondly, if you are confused right now and think liam should have talked to zayn etc etc, just wait for the next chapter, i promise i will clear up everything that i somehow left out in this chapter!
> 
> also, with this chapter i now wrote over 3 million words on ao3 which i just randomly noticed before and i think thats just insane lmao, thank you all for sticking around & reading my fics and for always being so lovely and sweet in the comments! its also my birthday tomorrow (or actually in an hour where i live haha), so that kinda feels extra special, even if the chapter wasnt too happy!
> 
> i hope you all still enjoyed it anyways and as always, i would love to hear your thoughts & have a good week <3


	19. Chapter 19

“Wait, why is he coming back early?“ Niall’s mother was understandably confused and to be fair, Niall’s lies hadn’t really made that much sense, he just hadn’t been able to hide his excitement from her. Also, he had had to tell their parents something after all. 

“A few shoots were cancelled so he has nothing to do anymore.” Niall repeated his lies, trying to hide his smile. He hadn’t talked to Liam in a few hours, but he knew that the older boy was on the plane that he was tracking online, so he wasn’t worried. At least not about that. “He’s gonna arrive at around midnight so I’m picking him up from the airport.”

“Aren’t you working longer tonight? It’s Friday.” Well, about that…

“I already asked if I can leave a bit earlier, it’s fine, I can work longer tomorrow.” Not that Niall was very excited about that, but he’d probably survive and he had the whole day tomorrow to be with Liam and spend time with him as well as the night and fuck, he couldn’t bloody wait anymore, he could barely even believe that it was really happening. Even if he knew that they had some not so comfortable things to talk about, Niall didn’t care, he felt like it didn’t matter whatever happened for as long as they could be together and he had Liam safe and sound in his arms.

“Well, alright, I’m gonna tell Geoff when he gets home later. Are you already leaving?” Niall had been putting on his shoes to drive to work when his mother had come home, not knowing that he had spent the whole day at the house skipping uni, but at this point, it was really whatever. Liam would come back and then Niall would be completely fine again. 

“Yeah, I’m actually a bit late already, so… “ Not really, but she didn’t have to know that.

“Okay, well have fun at work, love… and Niall?” She asked when his hand had already been on the door handle and he turned around one more time, not really knowing what to expect. Certainly not this. “If there’s anything going on, if anything’s wrong, you know you can talk to me, right?”

“I… yeah, of course I know that, uh, but everything’s fine, I promise.” Right now at this second, it wasn’t exactly a lie, but it still caused Niall to panic just a little bit. It seemed that slowly but surely, everybody was starting to notice that something was off, that things weren’t exactly great, first Louis, then Harry, now his mother… Niall wasn’t sure how much longer he and Liam could play these pretend games. 

“Okay… did you talk to Louis about the fight you’ve had?” Now Niall was really going to be late if they kept on talking, but at the same time, he wasn’t actually too opposed to it.

“I did, yeah, we agreed that it was just a stupid thing to fight about, so we’re all good again.” They had texted a bit throughout the day, Niall hadn’t told him and Harry that Liam was coming home early, because he knew that the other two knew that something was going on and that they would potentially ask about it again in the future, but he couldn’t change that anymore. He just didn’t wanna tell yet another lie right now. “I really gotta go now.”

“Okay, okay, I’ll see you tomorrow then, or maybe tonight if I stay up a bit later. Take care while driving.” She seemed to really mean it, and it made sense because everyone knew Niall didn’t drive that often, and especially with Liam’s massive car. 

Niall promised that he’d be careful right before leaving, his excitement building up again as he walked towards Liam’s car and away from the house because he knew he’d only be coming back here when Liam was already with him again. Fuck, now Niall really didn’t know anymore how he had ever managed to say goodbye to his boyfriend, he had been gone for only 4 days and he had been missing him more than he had ever thought was possible.

Though Niall wasn’t really looking forward to work tonight because he was working with the co worker who had an obvious crush on Liam and had been pissed upon finding out that Niall was dating him, he genuinely didn’t mind tonight. They barely talked to each other while working, but that was fine because somehow there was a lot to do anyways, but the time still seemed to pass by a lot more slowly than it usually did. Probably because Niall was checking the clock every 2 minutes waiting for when he could finally leave.

It seemed that way more than 6 hours had passed by the time he was walking back to Liam’s car in complete darkness, his heart bumping fast though he still had a 30 minute drive ahead of him and then an equally as long wait until Liam’s plane would land, if it even was on time. One more hour until they were back together, until Niall’s heart would be hurting a bit less and he could finally feel whole again.

He would have been nervous about driving to the airport all by himself in the middle of the night and then it also started raining a bit, but he barely even noticed and Liam’s car had a built in navigation system so really, Niall couldn’t have gone too terribly wrong. Finding a parking space turned out to be a bit of a problem, but Liam’s airplane wasn’t on time anyways, so the younger boy wasn’t too stressed out. He was just as nervous as if they hadn’t seen each other in a year or something. 

Because it was so late, there weren’t too many people at the airport anymore, mostly ones like Niall who were picking up someone else, but at least that meant he had a good sight on the door that read international arrivals above it and just looking at it was making Niall feel a little dizzy. Just those few minutes were absolutely killing him, because what if something had happened on the plane? Liam hadn’t texted him anymore, probably because his phone still had no charge left and he had slept the whole time, but like… Niall still couldn’t turn off those worries completely. Not after everything that had happened.

By the time Liam’s plane had finally landed, Niall had been standing around for probably 20 minutes just waiting, walking up and down and trying to calm down his nerves, but when the first people started coming out, his heart was beating so fast he was sure anybody would have noticed had they been standing too close to him. What if Liam wasn’t there, what would Niall have done then?

He wasn’t with the first few people, which was making Niall increasingly more worried as he scanned the strangers faces’ being greeted by their friends and family or simply left on their own, but then suddenly, when Niall had already thought about starting to cry yet again, his eyes landed on Liam’s face and he had never been more relieved in his entire life.

The older boy hadn’t seen him though he was clearly looking, and their eyes only met when Niall was already right in front of him, having half run up to him before almost jumping at him, wrapping his arms so tightly around Liam’s neck as if it was the very last time. Fuck, Niall had never thought it’d feel this good to have him back, nothing else in the entire world mattered right now, just this, Liam’s body against his, his arms around his waist holding him close.

“I missed you so much, I can’t believe you’re here...” Niall mumbled somewhere against his own arm and Liam’s neck, pressing his eyes closed as tightly as possible to keep the tears in somehow, breathing the older boy in just to be sure that he was really there.

“Me neither, baby… fuck, I missed you so much as well, I’m so sorry I didn’t text, I was asleep during the whole flight and didn’t charge my phone and then it was already time to get off and I just tried to hurry to get to you and-“

“Li, it’s okay, you’re here, that’s all I care about… I love you so much.” Just so he knew that Niall wasn’t upset with him, that he never could have been. “I’m never letting you leave again… “

“I wouldn’t want you to.” Liam told him and Niall felt him turning his head before he kissed the side of Niall’s, tightening his arms impossibly much until the younger boy almost felt as if he couldn’t breathe properly anymore. “I love you more than anything in this world…”

For a few minutes, this was all that mattered and nothing else, they just kept holding each other somewhere in the middle of the airport way past midnight, but it was all okay, everything felt alright to Niall for those few moments and he never wanted them to end. But they did eventually as he very slowly pulled away from Liam, still keeping his arms around him though and Liam’s hands slipped down to his waist.

“What the hell happened?” Niall couldn’t help but ask, because it was only now that he noticed how awful Liam actually looked, his eyes were a bit red shot, dark circles underneath, his skin pale and obvious bruises forming in various places, a bandaid on the side of his forehead.

“I’ll tell you everything at home.” Liam promised, flinching a little bit when Niall reached out to gently stroke the bruise underneath his eye before running his fingers through Liam’s hair as the older boy leaned forward to kiss him. It felt maybe even more intense than their first kiss after they had both admitted their feelings in London and Niall never wanted it to end, never wanted to pull away again, but they had to at some point sadly. “I don’t know how I ever managed to leave… “

“I don’t know how I let you… “ Niall mumbled against the older’s lips, leaning more into him again to kiss him some more, slip his tongue into Liam’s mouth just to be as close to him as somehow possible right now and in public. There were a million butterflies in his stomach as they snogged, goosebumps rising everywhere on his body and nothing in the world could have compared to this very moment. Still, Niall never wanted to have to feel this way again, this relief after having had to worry for Liam’s life, not knowing where he was, whether he’d ever come back home again. It had been the absolute worst.

“Let’s go home.” Liam seemed very eager to go as they finally managed to part from one another and Niall just nodded, still kissing the older boy again though, just one more time. “Were you okay driving here by yourself?”

“Yeah, everything went just fine, I- what the hell?!” Niall had mindlessly reached out for Liam’s hand without looking just like always, and he had barely grabbed a hold of it when he had already let go again, staring down at the bandage with wide eyes. “Liam?”

“It’s fine, it doesn’t hurt anymore, it was just scratched open, let’s, uh, let’s just switch sides.” The older boy was clearly trying to talk it down as he walked onto Niall’s other side, intertwining their fingers immediately as he pressed a kiss to the younger’s temple, probably to calm him down. “I’m okay, I promise, there’s nothing that isn’t going to heal completely. It doesn’t even hurt.”

“Who did this to you?” Niall did walk with Liam when the older boy started pulling him gently, seeing his face falter a little after he had asked the question so he squeezed Liam’s hand more tightly, curling his other hand around the inside of Liam’s elbow. 

“I’ll tell you at home, okay? It’s… kind of a long story.” Liam told him after some hesitation and because he seemed really troubled about it, Niall decided to let it drop immediately, simply turning his head to kiss the older’s shoulder over the fabric of his hoodie, wanting nothing more right now than for him to be alright. “I’m okay, everything will be fine.”

Niall didn’t answer because he knew that they both knew Liam was just trying to make them both feel better, but it was alright for now because just having him here, holding his hand and knowing that at least for tonight they wouldn’t have to part anymore was already a lot more than Niall would have dared to wish for for tonight. 

 

\-------------------

 

Liam didn’t actually know how he had survived that flight home, he had been asleep almost the entire time so as a result, his entire body was aching even more than it had to begin with. He was also still tired and exhausted as hell, but he was trying to look as alright as possible for Niall and just being with him, kissing and holding him, keeping him safe in his arms, was maybe the best medicine for Liam. Despite knowing what they would have to discuss tonight even if it was already late.

Niall drove the car home while Liam was fighting to stay awake, almost a little scared of the nightmares to come back that he had experienced on the plane as well. They kept the conversation light in the car, both of them dancing around the topic for now and then of course when they finally got home, everyone was asleep so they had to be quiet as well.

The younger boy insisted on helping Liam in the shower and though Liam tried to fight him weakly, he gave in fairly easy, knowing that Niall would see the bruises sooner or later anyways. And he could have needed the help after all, he could barely even use his second hand. 

“Fuck, Li… “ Niall breathed out in shock as he watched the older boy getting undressed and Liam had to admit that he himself was a little shocked at the dark color of a few bruises covering his body. At least now he knew why he was in so much pain the entire time.

“It’s just bruises, they’re gonna heal.” Liam tried to make Niall feel better, panicking a little when he saw the tears shimmering in the younger’s eyes, his lies probably not making it any better for him. “I’m ok-“

“You’re not okay.” Niall interrupted him and before Liam could have argued with him, he had already taken a step forward and wrapped his arms around him, as softly as ever, as if he was terrified of causing the older boy even more pain. “If I knew who did that to you… I’d kill them.”

“You might not have to… “ Liam mumbled without thinking, immediately regretting it when the younger boy froze in his arms so he held on more tightly. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“How did you mean it?” Good question, because Liam was somehow terrified thinking back to the fight, couldn’t even remember all the details, but definitely a whole lot more than right after and before he had gotten on that plane. Not sure whether that was a blessing or a curse.

“Just that there’s no need to, we’re both at fault, I hurt him as well.” More than planned, but Liam didn’t actually know what was going on there, he hadn’t had contact with anybody obviously and his phone still didn’t have any battery left. 

“Who?” Niall asked once more and Liam knew he’d be asking that question until he knew, but he didn’t wanna tell him right now, wanted to push it all back a little further.

“Can I tell you when we’re in bed?” Liam felt bad, and guilty, of course he did, but it had all already happened and he was the only one to blame for it.

Of course Niall didn’t keep on pushing, he never would have, he always seemed to understand what Liam needed and what he was going through and the older boy truly didn’t deserve him in any way. Niall kept hugging him for a while, rubbing his back and Liam could have fallen asleep standing up straight had he not been fighting to keep his eyes open somehow.

They had to be somewhat quick in the shower so they wouldn’t risk waking anybody, so Niall helping him made things a lot easier and it also felt really nice to just have him here touching Liam, taking care of him, showing him that he loved him even after everything Liam had put him through. And continued to put him through. 

Afterwards, they also brushed their teeth together briefly, and Liam still couldn’t help but pull Niall onto his lap as he sat on the edge of the bathtub, just wanting to have him close because he had never known he’d be capable of missing another person this much. It was obvious that Niall had slept in Liam’s bed while he had been gone, the sheets were still messed up and everything smelled like the younger boy when they finally curled up in bed together, as close to one another as somehow possible.

“We don’t have to talk tonight… you can just go to sleep and get some rest.” Niall half whispered as they looked at each other in the half lit room, his thumb brushing over Liam’s bottom lip and the older boy felt butterflies in his stomach. “We got all day tomorrow to talk.”

“We should probably do it now though… “ Not that Liam was very eager to talk about any of it, he felt rather content right now living in this blissful ignorance, pretending as if none of it had ever happened, as if there would be no consequences and as if nothing would change. Nothing would change until Tuesday or Wednesday, but Liam honestly didn’t wanna know what would happen once his boss was back from New York. 

“It’s your decision, but I can tell you’re about to pass out.” He was right, and he was only making Liam sleepier by stroking his face and looking at him like that, with such a fond expression on his face that it made Liam’s insides twist as he thought about how scared Niall would be if he told him what had happened. “Whatever it is… it’ll still be the same tomorrow.”

“Yeah… “ Sadly, Niall was more than right about that, but the more Liam looked at him and studied his face, the more did he get the feeling that somehow it seemed he wasn’t the only one who had something to say and that thought terrified him more than anything. “Did anything, like… happen while I was gone? Anything we haven’t talked about yet?”

The younger boy didn’t answer immediately, but he lowered his eyes and his hand froze against Liam’s cheek, so there he basically had his confirmation. “Something happened, um… after I was bowling with Harry and Louis last night.”

“What happened?” Suddenly, Liam didn’t feel all too tired anymore as he studied his boyfriend’s face, the way he refused to look at him again, letting his palm rest against Liam’s face though as he seemed to swallow hard. 

“We were, like, just about to leave and… and then somebody came up to me and… and they knew my name, my full name, I mean and… “ Oh, shit, no, this couldn’t be true. “And… and they said they work with you and asked if I was dating you and I said I don’t have a boyfriend and… they said they already knew anyways, that it’s an open secret and they said it all in front of Harry and Louis and then Louis freaked out and we had a fight and- please don’t be upset, I didn’t know what to do, Li, I tried to talk myself out of it and I didn’t wanna tell you because I thought it’d distract you from the fight and I was already so worried and then everything else happened and I’m sorry, I know I messed up, I know we said we wouldn’t keep secrets anymore, I just-“

“Hey, hey, shhh, it’s okay, love, everything is fine, I promise. Take a breath, okay? It’s okay, Nialler, I’d never be upset about that, it’s not your fault and you did the right thing. C’mere.” Somehow, Liam was relieved after kissing Niall’s forehead, he didn’t know why, but maybe because this was so much less worse than he had thought and also because he had somehow already known anyways. His boss had told him that there had been rumors after all, the only thing was… they knew Niall’s name AND what he looked like.

“But, Li, they already knew everything and what if your boss already knows as well?!” Right… 

Liam didn’t answer, he just looked at Niall, pulling him in to kiss his forehead again and hoping to be calming him down a little bit as he brushed his fingers through the younger’s hair, taking a breath before deciding that he couldn’t keep this to himself any longer. “He already knows, Zayn told him.”

“I- _what?!_ What do you mean?! Why would he do that?! What?!” As expected, the younger boy was freaking out at an instant, but he still kept on lying there at least, staring at Liam with wide eyes, as if he couldn’t believe what he had just heard. “What the hell happened, Li?!”

“He noticed how I’ve been trying to talk myself out of stuff and how I’ve been trying to be more careful during fights and… I assume he asked Zayn and Zayn told him about you, about us and… “ And continuing made Liam wanna fucking puke. “He said that… that I could go home, if… if I fought one more fight… against Zayn.”

“Wait… you fought against Zayn?! He did this to you?! But… but why would he just rat us out to your boss? Did you talk to him? What happened during the fight or before?” Niall was understandably confused and panicked and Liam had to close his eyes for a moment and take a deep breath before continuing because this was the part that he hated the very most.

“When he said it, my boss, I mean, I didn’t know if I should have believed him or not, but… he knew things about us that only Zayn knew, the London trip and all those details and… I was so pissed off and I know my boss wanted me to be pissed off and I did exactly what he hoped for and… I talked to Zayn beforehand, we saw each other for like two minutes before the fight and… you know, I was so mad, I was yelling at him and he never denied anything, he never said he didn’t do it, he just ignored me and… and I couldn’t keep on asking because we were supposed to fight and everyone was there and my boss wasn’t allowed to know that I told Zayn to keep quiet or that I was upset about everyone finding out and… and anyways, um… I won the fight and… and I don’t know what happened to Zayn, I just know that… that I got him pretty bad, I just… I was so mad and I wanted to come home to you and… I don’t know what I did, Ni.” For all he knew, he could have half killed him.

“I’m sure Zayn’s alright, I mean, not that I really care, because why the fuck would he have done that? Li, you don’t have to feel guilty about it, he stabbed you in the back and you had no choice but to fight him anyways, even if you hadn’t been allowed to come home earlier, your boss would have made you fight him anyways.” That was true, also, maybe it was a relief that Niall reacted this way, but there was also the possibility that he was just trying to make Liam feel better. 

“I know, but… that’s exactly why I don’t know what to believe anymore, of course it would have made sense for my boss to lie and make me upset just so he could have his fun or whatever, but… Zayn didn’t deny it, he didn’t say anything at all and after my boss told me I had to fight Zayn to come home, he mentioned all those details like the London trip and… and Zayn wasn’t trying to let me win either, he was trying to win himself and… he could have taken me on any other day, I just… all I kept thinking about was you, how I’d be able to come home and… my boss now knows that. He’s gonna use it against me, he knows you’re my weak spot and that I’d do anything for you, I told him we’re bonded and that you’re my s-“

“Wait, what?! You told him we’re bonded?” Okay, well, Liam surely hadn’t expected such a strong reaction.

“Just because he won’t dare to ever touch you if we’re bonded, he knows he’d lose me if he did.” That sounded a lot as if Niall was in danger, but Liam somehow had to explain himself and it also didn’t seem as if that was what Niall was worried about. “Ni-“

“Those guys saw my neck and one of them even pointed out that you didn’t bond with me.” Niall blurted out with it in the most panicky voice and for a moment, Liam thought about panicking as well, but he managed to calm down again immediately. “What if they already told somebody?!”

“Even if they did, it doesn’t matter, I could have literally bitten you anywhere underneath your clothes, the neck is just the most likely spot. It still wouldn’t be so good if they talked about it with anybody because my boss already thinks I’ve been trying to go behind his back… which I did, but it’d be better if he didn’t get too suspicious, right now I feel like he’s somewhat happy with me at least, because I told him about you. I’m sorry I made that decision by myself, I-“

“Li, you really don’t have to apologize for that, you had to do what you had to do, I’m just so happy you’re home and somewhat alright and… I hope you’re right about the bite mark, and that your boss isn’t too angry… “ He had calmed down again quickly after what Liam had said, but the older boy could tell he was still alarmed. “Do you really think Zayn told him? Why would he do that?”

“I honestly don’t know… I just know he didn’t deny it when I was yelling at him before, he didn’t even say anything, and… he didn’t at all hold back during the fight, he would have… he would have hurt me the way I hurt him if I had given him the chance.” And there had never been a moment where Liam had doubted that Zayn had ratted him out, right when they had seen each other, it had rather felt as if Zayn was equally as pissed off at him as the other way around. 

“Maybe he only told your boss because he thought you went behind his back first, maybe your boss made something up about you.” Niall was moving closer now and Liam tightened his arm, pressing his lips against the younger’s forehead and just letting them rest there afterwards, refusing to let his eyes drop closed. 

“Maybe… I don’t know… I don’t even know what I did to Zayn.” That was the scariest part, even if Zayn had ratted Liam and Niall out, just thinking about what Liam was capable of that he didn’t even know about was freaking him the hell out. He could have seriously injured him, Zayn could be in hospital right now and no one would have ever told Liam. “All I was thinking about was getting back home to you and… I didn’t have a choice anyways and Zayn… Zayn was fighting back just as much and when it was over somebody got me out and to the airport immediately, I… I don’t even know what happened afterwards. I don’t know what I did.”

“Li, hey… “ Niall mumbled, leaning his head back so that they could look at each other, his expression having gone soft as he reached out for Liam again, touching his cheek softly. “You didn’t have a choice, you did what you had to do and if you hadn’t, you’d be the one hurt now. And then your boss would have made your life hell. It’s not your fault, whatever happened, and if Zayn is really innocent then he knows that and he knew why you were fighting against each other. You’re not the one to blame, okay?”

“I know, I just… I still feel bad. Even if Zayn told our boss… or if he had been somebody else, I wouldn’t ever wanna hurt somebody this badly and… I feel like I did but I can’t ask anybody and… it’s just shit.” Liam let out a sigh, blinking back a few tears that had been building up but he knew Niall had noticed them anyways because of how intensely he was studying Liam’s face while stroking it and the older boy closed his eyes for just a moment, breathing Niall in and trying to focus on nothing besides his touch for just a few seconds. “Whatever happened, I’d do it all again if it meant I could come back home to you and lie right here like this.”

“I love you, Li… I’m so glad you’re here and I’m never gonna let you leave again…“ Niall whispered for real this time and because the older boy had had his eyes closed, he was a little surprised when he felt the younger’s lips against his, all soft and gentle and slow and it almost made Liam wanna cry as he returned it.

“I love you too, baby...” He managed to bring out in between kisses, his hand hurting a bit from the position they were in, but it was easy to just ignore that and focus only on Niall right now.

There was no solution to any of this, none at all, Liam was still in pain even after Niall brought him pain killers a while later and then insisted on changing the bandaids on his hand. By the time they fell asleep, it was probably past 2 in the morning, Liam had no idea, he also couldn’t remember passing out because it must have been in the middle of a conversation, Niall’s fingers playing with his hair and his breath brushing over Liam’s skin because of how close he was.

 

\---------------

 

Niall woke up in the morning because he had to pee, for a moment simply wanting to get up and go to the bathroom, but then last night came back to him and he suddenly realized that Liam was deep asleep with his head on the younger’s chest, so obviously Niall decided to hold back and stay in bed instead. For just a second, he had thought it had all just been a dream, but Liam was right here, his chest moving evenly, his weight on top of the younger boy, his arm draped around his stomach as he slept.

Despite everything, Niall couldn’t help but smile, couldn’t help but be genuinely happy for a few minutes as he hugged Liam tighter, pressing his face into the older’s hair and just taking this moment in because he had longed for it all day when Liam had been gone, and now he was here and it was even better than Niall would have ever thought. 

Niall’s phone was lying next to him in bed so he managed to reach it without moving too much, a little surprised that his mother hadn’t knocked on the door yet because it was already 1 in the afternoon. She probably knew they had gotten back home quite late though and she had also seen Niall crying about Liam being gone so… she was probably trying to give them privacy. For once.

Niall quickly texted back Harry after reading what he had sent into their groupchat, genuinely asking if Niall wanted to hang out again, so he made sure to tell his friends that Liam was back home because that should have answered the question automatically. That was a problem though that Niall would have to talk to Liam about again, Harry and Louis knew too much by now to still lie to them, but dragging them into this mess… Niall had no idea if he could have lived with himself if anything had happened to them as a result.

By the time Liam started stirring, Niall had already forgotten about needing to pee, he had just been lost in thoughts, playing with Liam’s hair while trying to come up with a solution, but of course nothing came to him. 

“Are you awake?” Niall whispered, as quietly as possible just in case, but he also couldn’t tell because he couldn’t see Liam’s face.

“Kinda… “ Liam whispered back, his voice sounding groggy right before he let out a yawn, noticeably tightening his fingers curled into Niall’s shirt, his head getting a bit heavier too on the younger’s chest. Fuck, Niall never wanted either of them to move again. 

“You can just go back to sleep if you want, I know you’re exhausted.” To be fair, they had surely almost been asleep for 12 hours, but Niall was just really worried and he didn’t mind just lying here holding Liam while he slept, just hold him in his arms and know that he was safe. At least for now. 

“Sleeping too much won’t make it better anyways… I’m okay, just a bit tired still.” There was another yawn before he moved a bit and though Niall wasn’t sure if he liked him lifting his head, he didn’t hold him back of course, just let his hand slip to the side of Liam’s neck. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah… are you in pain?” He had to be even if he’d probably deny it, but there was just no way he couldn’t feel all these bruises covering his body, just thinking about it gave Niall the chills and once more made him wish that Zayn was hurting twice as much, even if he would have never said that out loud. 

“I’m fine.” Of course he was, he always was. 

Liam tried to kiss Niall then, but he failed twice because it was so dark and by the time he found the younger’s lips, Niall was giggling, not being able to hold back even if it felt kinda ridiculous considering the situation they were in. Then again, it somehow made his chest feel a lot lighter as they kept on kissing for a while, Niall making sure to wrap his arms around Liam’s neck to hold him close, almost as if they were trying to make up for all the days together that they had lost.

“I missed this so much… like, just waking up with you and cuddling and falling asleep together… “ It was true, Liam had slept in way before Niall last night, in the middle of his sentence almost, but Niall hadn’t at all minded, he had almost tried to stay awake longer just to capture the moment for as long as possible. 

“Me too… being away from you was the hardest part about all of it, I don’t even know how I managed to ever fall asleep on my own.” Their lips were still brushing and Niall had no chance to answer before Liam was already kissing him again, causing warmth to grow in the younger’s stomach as he just switched off his brain, not wanting to think about anything at all right now except for the fact that Liam was here and alright. “I love you. So much, I don’t even know how that’s possible.”

“That doesn’t sound very romantic.” Niall joked quietly, still kissing Liam back again though. “I love you too.”

“I’m always romantic.” Was all Liam answered to that, making the younger boy laugh softly against his lips. “What? Are you saying I’m not?”

“I don’t know, I just remembered Harry and Louis fighting over them never going on any creative dates or something and then they asked me what kinda dates you and me go on… “ And Niall didn’t have to carry on because they both knew they rarely ever went on dates. 

“Do you wanna go on more dates? Or do you mean I’m neither romantic nor creative?” Liam was now laughing as well, just a little bit, but it sounded like music to Niall’s ears because he hadn’t heard it in so long. 

“Maybe all of it together.” Niall answered after a moment of hesitation, seeing Liam’s eyes going wide for a moment, clearly surprised about the answer but the younger boy couldn’t keep serious for very long anyways. “No, I think you’re very romantic and we could go on more dates but we’re together a lot more than other couples, so… I like how things are. Not sure if you’re that creative though but that’s fine, I can live with that.”

“Can you?” Liam asked, pulling up one eyebrow and Niall rolled his eyes as he gently pulled Liam’s head back down to kiss him one more time. “We could still go on more dates, I like that idea. Do I have to thank Harry and Louis for that now?”

“No, apparently they don’t even like going on their own dates, so… we just gotta keep it a secret from them because I’m not sure how many more double dates I will survive. Especially if Louis wants to go back to that bowling alley, that was truly terrible and I never wanna go there again, just for future references.” Also because Niall hadn’t been able to tell Liam all about that because… things had happened, but the younger boy tried not to think about that now and only focus on Liam instead. 

“Shoot… there goes my first idea.” Liam chuckled, rubbing his nose against the younger boy’s when Niall pretended to be annoyed again, which immediately made him smile of course without even thinking about it. “Was it really that terrible though?”

“You have no idea, Louis was just bragging the entire time, it was so boring, I just wanted to go home.” For multiple reasons, but that wasn’t important right now. “But I’ve never been bowling before, so maybe it would have been more fun if it hadn’t been the first time and… not with Louis.”

“So you’d be willing to try again? Because I’m quite good at it as well, just saying.” He shrugged a bit, a smirk on his face that got Niall’s heart bumping a bit faster. “I promise I wouldn’t laugh at you and I won’t brag.”

“Hmm… I still gotta think about it.” They couldn’t have gone anytime soon anyways, Liam’s hand was injured after all and his body must have been hurting literally everywhere, but it seemed he was just really good at overplaying all of that just for Niall. 

When Liam leaned down to kiss him again, Niall immediately relaxed his jaw this time, feeling a whole lot more awake now as he felt the older’s tongue against his, curling his fingers more tightly into his boyfriend’s hair as they snogged. None of this was solving anything, not the banter nor all the making out and avoiding what was going on, but Niall didn’t care right now, it was only Saturday, they still had at least until Tuesday to come up with something, he was just hoping that that was enough time. 

 

\-----------------

 

Liam told their parents that the shoots had been cancelled because of him having been involved in an accident, which automatically meant they weren’t confused about his bruises anymore and though they seemed worried, neither of them seemed to question whether he was telling the truth or not. Niall kept quiet during all of it, but he was holding Liam’s good hand rather tightly and he basically never left Liam’s side the whole day long. 

They didn’t really talk about anything concerning the obvious problems, Liam avoided looking at his phone too much but it stayed quiet anyways and though he knew Niall was texting Louis and Harry throughout the day, they also didn’t discuss what they were gonna do about them either. It’s not that they were avoiding it or pretending it wasn’t happening, but they both kinda needed a day to just enjoy time together and be with one another because they didn’t need a solution by tomorrow, just soon. 

Niall insisted on driving somewhere to get new bandages for Liam and pain killers and something else to put on the bruises and though the older boy tried to talk him out of it, they still ended up in his car, with Liam in the passenger seat though. He had to admit that he was quite impressed by how much more confident Niall had gotten in driving and he told him so as well, but it only made the younger boy shrug it off. 

He was trying so damn hard to take care of Liam and be there for him and it was genuinely making the older boy feel so loved that he could have cried whenever Niall did something simple like unwrapping his hand as gently as possible and re doing the bandage without ever hurting Liam just for a second. He didn’t deserve any of this, Liam was very well aware of that, but he loved Niall more than anything in the world and even though he had thought at times that the younger boy deserved a lot better, he would have never given up on them.

The thing was, Niall had to go to work in the evening and Liam had kinda pushed that into the back of his mind until it was time for the younger boy to leave and it kinda got Liam a little more panicked than he would have thought.

“I’ll come along, I can drive the car back home and then come pick you up again.” Liam decided spontaneously while Niall was searching for something in his room, but that suggestion did make him stop for a moment to look at Liam. 

“Can you drive with your hand?” He sounded a little worried as he zipped up his backpack before coming over to his bed where Liam was sitting, dropping it on the floor as he let his forearms rest on the older’s shoulders as Liam held onto his waist. “I don’t want you to hurt it even more, I still think we should go and let it get checked out somewhere.”

“It doesn’t even hurt anymore and I don’t have to move it too much in the car anyways, I’ll be fine.” Liam just didn’t want Niall to leave in the next few minutes, he didn’t wanna be alone with his thoughts right now, for hours on end, he just wanted to be with Niall and nothing else. “Are you already running late?”

“No, I’m still on time.” Niall told him slowly, while studying Liam’s face quite intensely, running his fingers through the older’s hair and giving him chills. “I could… I could call and ask if I can start later.”

“No, don’t, you’ll have to get the hours in at some point and you already had to do that yesterday because of me.” But it was really tempting to just ask Niall to do that, but Liam didn’t of course because hell, this was Niall’s job, he couldn’t just randomly not show up all the time because his boyfriend didn’t want him to leave him alone. “Let’s go, so you won’t be late.”

Niall only nodded instead of answering, not immediately letting Liam stand up though but instead leaning down to press his lips against the older’s forehead. He only did that whenever he knew Liam was somehow not feeling well and it never failed to cause Liam to stop for a moment and just take it all in, be somehow calmer a little bit even if it also made him even more nervous about spending a few hours alone.

The younger boy insisted on driving to the cinema himself, making Liam promise twice that he would text him as soon as he was back home. Somehow, Liam had a feeling he stopped at a few too many street lights that hadn’t even turned red yet, but he certainly wouldn’t have complained about that because they still arrived a little early. 

“You’ve become really good with that car.” Liam pointed out once more when Niall had turned off the engine and again, the younger boy just shrugged a little, almost as if he was embarrassed about it. “Remember when you drove it for the first time?”

“Don’t remind me please, I was so terrified I’d crash into something the whole time, it was awful.” Niall shook his head a bit, taking the keys out and playing with them in his hands for a bit before handing them over to Liam, not letting go though as the older boy reached out for them. “Maybe… “

“Maybe?” Liam asked when the younger boy didn’t continue, biting his bottom lip and seemingly very lost in thoughts. 

“You know, my boss is never there when I work and… I’m gonna be alone at the popcorn bar today and there’s tons of seating everywhere for the customers and… I only gotta work for 6 hours.” Well, 6 hours was quite long considering it was 6 in the evening, but Liam kinda liked where this was going. “In between movies there are almost no people there and no one’s watching me, um…. I understand if you’d rather drive home, but if you don’t wanna then you could come inside with me.”

For a moment, Liam was about to just say yes immediately, but then he quickly thought about it again and forced himself to hold back. “Won’t it get you in any trouble?”

“No, why? Anybody can go inside and sit there and talk to me and besides, no one will even notice, I’m also on my phone a lot when there aren’t a lot of customers or none at all. Also, it looks kinda empty already.” He was right, there were only two more cars in the parking lot and Liam suddenly felt a lot more hopeful. “I just… I missed you a shit ton.”

“Me too… I’d like to come inside, but only if you can promise that it won’t get you in any trouble.” Liam kinda liked the thought of watching Niall work and being able to talk with him in between and of course, that’d keep him from being alone with his thoughts and his phone.

“I promise.” Niall sounded genuine when he said it, jokingly holding out his hand to give Liam a pinky promise, but the older boy did it anyways, feeling a smile forming on his face that mirrored the younger boy’s.

Niall’s coworker, luckily some other guy and not the girl that apparently had a crush on Liam or whatever, was just sitting at the front selling tickets and Liam was kinda relieved to see that there was no way he could have ever seen or heard them back at the popcorn bar. There also were very few customers waiting in line for Niall to open it and once he had sold them all stuff and they had gone off to watch their movie, they were literally all alone in the foyer. 

“I really didn’t think it’d be like this.” Liam was positively surprised though, he had been sitting on one of the couches in the seating areas for people to wait for their movie to start, but he was coming over while Niall was lazily wiping down the counter. Being here kinda got him a lot more excited than probably appropriate. “I’m always gonna come along from now on.”

“You really should… except for when my other coworker is there, you’d probably distract her a little too much.” Niall joked but Liam could tell that he was kinda being serious as well. It reminded Liam very much of when the younger boy had suggested Liam should come by at some point just to snog him in front of his coworker. “Do you want popcorn?”

“Are you just allowed to eat it whenever you want?” That was another surprise, especially when the younger boy nodded before shrugging.

“I never asked but all the employees eat it all the time and no one will ever notice, we never really eat a lot of it, so it’s whatever. It’s also not that good because the cinema is so small.” That didn’t sound too promising, but Liam still didn’t decline, asking Niall a few more questions regarding his job while leaning on the counter and eating some popcorn, the normality of it all almost feeling weird.

Just a day ago everything had been so different, and now Liam was here with Niall and they were just casually talking and joking around at the younger’s work place and they had no solution to this whole mess, but… somehow Liam didn’t care right now, he just wanted to be distracted from thinking too much and that was working out just fine.

Of course more people came over the course of the night where Liam simply pretended to be another customer just waiting, although he was pretty damn sure that nobody actually paid attention to him or would have noticed them talking to each other. They were still being somewhat careful though, just in case because it was still Niall’s work after all and they had plenty of time to talk in between movies anyways because there were only 2 showing at the same time. 

“You’re doing it wrong.” Niall was laughing at Liam when he was helping him clean up shortly after midnight, both of them kinda tired but they couldn’t leave before this was done and Liam really wondered how the younger boy had gotten used to this job.

“How can I do it wrong, we’re just cleaning up, right?” At least that’s what Liam had thought because apparently, that wasn’t the case.

“Just push it all underneath the seat, otherwise it takes way too long, we only clean it all twice a week.” Oh. “No one ever looks that far under their seats anyways, they do this in every cinema.”

“I’m learning a lot of things today I’m not sure I really wanted to know.” Liam pulled a bit of a face which made Niall laugh again, but he did what he had been told, suddenly feeling a little stupid about never having really talked to the younger boy about any of this. Niall had come along to Liam’s modelling jobs a ton of times, so now Liam was really glad that he had done the same the other way around. 

When they were finally done and Niall had locked up, Liam felt kinda exhausted even though he had only been standing or sitting around most of the night and the younger boy made fun of him but at the same time, he seemed somewhat worried because he asked twice about how Liam was feeling before they finally got home. Liam felt fine though, like, regarding all his bruises and injuries, they did ache once a while or in the wrong position, but it wasn’t anything he couldn’t have simply ignored. 

“I’ve got a problem.” Niall announced when Liam came back from the bathroom after showering, both of them having agreed to shower alone tonight because they didn’t wanna wake their parents by taking too long. “And we need to change your bandages again, everything got wet.”

“What problem?” Liam had to ask because right now, he could have thought about a hundred.

“I don’t know what to do with Harry and Louis, like… what to tell them. Louis stopped asking but I know that they know that I’ve been lying to them for a while and… I don’t know what to do.” He sounded stressed out, watching as Liam pulled on some sweatpants before making him sit on the bed with him, very gently taking the older’s injured hand to place it in his lap. 

Liam had to think about this for a moment because it had come slightly out of nowhere and now he felt guilty because surely this had been bothering the younger boy all day long and they hadn’t even talked about it or discussed it. “Do you…. would you wanna tell them the truth?”

“I don’t know, I mean, yes, I do, but… I don’t wanna drag them into this as well.” He shrugged while unwrapping the wet bandages, as if he had already done this a hundred times before and maybe Liam would have protested any other time, but having Niall doing all these things for him was making him feel so much better. “They’re gonna find out at some point though, in one way or another, so… at this point I’m just waiting for it to happen or for them to just walk away because I would surely deserve it after lying so much.”

“If they knew what was going on they would understand, you’re not lying to them by choice and I think they have kinda guessed that because they stopped asking.” Louis especially, Liam didn’t know him too well, but well enough. “But… you can tell them, you don’t need my permission. Whatever you wanna share with them, you can. I know when I first told you, I wanted you to keep quiet, but they’re your best friends and I trust them, they only want the best for you and they’re worried, I really get that. It’s up to you, Ni.”

“I’m not sure if I want it to be up to me… “ The younger boy mumbled while still being busy putting bandages on Liam, slowly bringing his hand up to his lips after he was done to kiss the back of it. Maybe it was ridiculous, but somehow it worked better than any medicine could have. “They’re gonna wanna help if I tell them and I’m afraid Louis is gonna do something stupid.”

“Like what?” Liam had no experience with telling people about this except for his dad, but he had never known all of it, he just knew how Niall had reacted but that had been a whole lot different.

“I don’t know, like, go to the police or some shit, or… whatever else he can think of. I’m not sure if they’d get just how dangerous it actually is for them to know.” Niall was still holding Liam’s hand, looking down at his thumb brushing over the older’s wrist while Liam studied his face, wanting nothing more than to somehow be able to make him feel better. But he couldn’t, because he was the reason Niall felt bad in the first place. “I wanna tell them, but I know I shouldn’t.”

“That’s how I felt before telling you, but… I still felt relieved after I did it and I never regretted it. It’s different though and it’s up to you, I’m sorry you have to make decisions like that because of me.” Genuinely, Liam hated himself for all of this, but his words caused the younger boy to look up finally, slowly shaking his head.

“You don’t have to be sorry, Li, it isn’t your fault no matter how many times you try to make it look like that, it isn’t anybody’s fault except… “ Except Liam’s boss’ fault, but they all already knew that. “I think I need to think about it for a bit and… and see what happens first.”

“Maybe that’s a good idea… “ Liam mumbled, almost feeling a shiver going through his body just thinking about what would happen once his boss was back home. So far his phone had stayed quiet all day, which was suspicious but also made sense. Surely, all the guys had been told they weren’t allowed to talk to Liam or tell him anything, especially not about Zayn, so right now, all Liam could have done was wait. Or gone to ask one of the guys who had stayed back home and talked to Niall, but he couldn’t because his boss would have immediately found out about it. 

There was nothing left to say and they stayed silent for a moment before Niall had to yawn and they decided to lie down because it was already really late again. This time, it was the younger boy again who curled up into Liam’s side and put his head onto the older’s chest and Liam made sure to hold him tightly underneath the blanket, silently praying that his thoughts would be quiet enough for him to sleep tonight. 

Liam had already made sure to turn off the lights and everything, but he knew that the younger boy wasn’t asleep even though they both stayed silent for a few minutes. So when Niall spoke up, Liam had kinda been expecting anything, but surely not what the younger boy asked him. 

“When your boss is back and… and when he wants you to fight again… “ He started, which already caused Liam to freeze a little just thinking about it. Not sure how he would have even fought with his hand still hurting like that, but he would have to make due or hope that it’d heal until then. “I mean… I’ve been thinking about this and… everybody now knows about me, don’t they? Probably not what I look like exactly and stuff, but, uh… it’s not a secret anymore? So… so I was wondering, the next time you have to fight… can I come along?”

“Ni… “ Liam was honestly shocked to hear Niall asking that, he would have never expected for the younger boy to actually WANT that, and yet here he was and Liam didn’t even have any arguments anymore. “I… I don’t know if that’d be a good idea.”

“Why? I wouldn’t have to watch, I don’t know if I could even stand that, but… but I could wait somewhere, in a different room or so. And maybe… you said if your boss thinks we’re bonded then that makes me safer, right? Because he wouldn’t want anything to distract you or keep you from doing well, so he would have to want me to be alright because it’d affect you otherwise, so… so maybe if I meet him and stuff, maybe that’d show him you’re not trying to keep secrets from him anymore and maybe he’d go easier on you.”

“He’s not that kinda person, babe, I… I don’t know if you meeting him is going to make things better or just make them a lot worse, I… also, we’re not actually bonded and right now he doesn’t know it’s a lie, but if he actually meets you and everything, he wouldn’t only know exactly what you look like, but I feel like he’d suspect we’re not really bonded and if he finds out I lied about that...” No idea how, but Liam had been able to tell when other couples were bonded and soulmates, just from the way they acted around each other and he didn’t want him and Niall to bring this situation upon themselves where they had to literally act in front of his boss.

It seemed though, that had never been Niall’s intention anyways.

He didn’t answer immediately, he seemed to just think about it for a moment and when Liam was about to speak up again, he got shut up very quickly. “So… so we gotta not make it a lie.”

Oh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys!!! :)
> 
> i cant believe this is already chapter 19, im taking so much longer for this fic than planned and i keep dreaming about the new fic i wanna write after that haha!! thank you all for sticking around, i hope you enjoyed the chapter, i know not a lot of drama again, but they deserved a short break i feel like! 
> 
> today was my last day at my internship and im super happy its over even tho it wasnt half as bad as i thought! i hope you all had a good day as well & a great next week <3


	20. Chapter 20

“Niall…“ Liam started and the younger boy already wanted to take it back again, but at the same time, he was somehow relieved that he had said it out loud. Even if he had known that Liam wouldn’t be too thrilled about the idea. “I don’t know if- if we should do that just because of that, I mean… in general, I don’t know if you should meet my boss and… I just don’t know, Nialler.”

“I know it seems rushed and everything, but I feel like he’s gonna find out if we’re not actually bonded and if he realizes you lied, then… I’m scared of what he’s gonna do.” To both of them, but to Liam first and yeah, Niall wasn’t at all opposed to letting Liam bite him, but this had nothing to do with that right now. “It’d be our safest bet to just do it and then maybe you’re right and he wouldn’t dare to touch me anymore and… I don’t know him or anything, but from what you’ve told me… he seems to really need you and wants you to try your best and he’s all about you telling the truth and stuff, so… “

“You’re right, babe, I know that it’d be stupid to risk him catching me lie, I just… “ He broke off for a moment then, clearly taking a breath and Niall would have lifted his head off of Liam’s chest to look at him but he didn’t wanna stress Liam out even more than he clearly already was. “I just don’t want us to do it all in a rush and… it wasn’t supposed to happen like that. Same when we slept together for the first time, I- you mean a lot more to me than that and I don’t wanna put that mark on you and have it be a constant reminder of all this instead of what it really should mean.”

“We don’t have to, I was just considering it because I thought maybe… maybe it’d help, maybe it’d make this situation a little better, but I don’t want it to happen like that either. You could do it, if you think it’d be a better idea than to not do it, but you can decide, you know your boss, I don’t.” Niall tried to somehow save the situation, even though he knew he had already started something he hadn’t meant to. They weren’t in the right mind set to make that decision now though, it was in the middle of the night and Niall had just blurted out with it out of nowhere.

Also, there was the possibility that they would do this and bond and then realize they weren’t actually soulmates and Niall was kinda terrified of that. Obviously it wouldn’t change anything about their feelings for one another and a ton of people never found their soulmates and bonded with somebody else, it’s just… Niall just really wanted Liam to be his one and only, even if that sounded quite childish compared to what else was going on around them. 

“I don’t know if I wanna make that decision… “ Liam mumbled somewhere into Niall’s hair and the younger boy really got it because he was experiencing that same problem with Harry and Louis right now and he felt really guilty for having spoken up.

“I’m sorry I said something, I shouldn’t have, not now.” He had just said it without thinking it through, probably having shortened their night significantly with that. “We don’t have to decide now or anything, I, um, I’m also sorry about what I said, like, me coming along to a fight and meeting your boss, I wasn’t really… thinking about it when I asked.”

“Would you really want that though? If you could? Come along to a fight, I mean?” Liam sounded quite surprised by that, which kinda confused Niall, because why wouldn’t he?

“Yeah, I do… being at home and waiting for you to come back is like… it’s the worst. It won’t make a difference whether I’m here or there, but at least I’d know immediately what’s going on and I could be right there in case anything happened. I, um… I wouldn’t wanna watch though, I think, I don’t know if I could stand seeing anybody hurting you.” Niall would have literally gone insane, just the thought of it was making his skin crawl. 

The other boy stayed quiet for a moment then, still evenly rubbing the younger’s back though and Niall let his eyes fall closed for a second, not necessarily because he was tired but because it felt really nice. “Maybe you’re right… maybe you should meet my boss and come along to the fights, maybe that’d make things better, but once you’ve met him… there’s no going back. And we gotta decide what to do about the bonding before that, he can’t notice a difference later on or he’ll know.”

“Yeah… although I kinda feel like it was a stupid idea now but I don’t even know anymore.” Also, they had no one else to count on, Zayn was apparently a traitor and Liam didn’t seem to trust any of the other guys enough and even if Niall told Harry and Louis about it all then they couldn’t help them either because they knew as little as Niall himself. 

“Me neither… “ Liam agreed after a while, sounding kind of defeated, which Niall hated but he also felt the same somehow and it was killing him inside. They only had so little time left until Liam’s boss would be back from New York and then who knew what would happen or when, Niall was already terrified of that moment he’d hear Liam’s phone going off again. “Maybe we should just wait and see.”

“Yeah, maybe… “ What else was Niall supposed to say, really? There was nothing they could have done right now, well, except for bonded maybe, but that would have been a little too unromantic even for Niall. Fuck, he was so scared of what would happen and he couldn’t even tell Liam that because there was nothing the older boy could have done to change that anyways. It would have only made him feel worse if anything and he already felt way too guilty for Niall’s liking because he literally wasn’t at fault at all. 

There was only one single person responsible for all of this shit and Niall didn’t even know him, had never even seen just as much as a picture and yet he was afraid of that person and it almost felt a bit surreal.

 

\------------------------

 

“Liam, I’m gonna be honest with you, I’m kinda worried about your hand.” It was Niall’s mother who brought it up, kinda randomly as well while Niall and Liam had been watching TV with her and Liam’s dad in the living room Sunday night, after another day of sleeping in and lying in bed talking without ever coming to a single conclusion.

“It’s fine, I had a doctor check it out there.” Not a lie, Niall knew the whole story though he wasn’t quite sure if he believed that that guy had been a real doctor. 

“I told him we should let it get looked at as well, but he didn’t want to.” Niall cut in even though he knew Liam would just roll his eyes at him and be annoyed, but if he was genuinely hurt and not healing properly then Niall wanted to do everything he could to change that. 

“It’s just swollen still.” Liam did sound annoyed but he didn’t roll his eyes and neither did he move away from the younger boy. Not that he really could have because Niall’s legs were across his lap, but he also didn’t move his arm from where it was wrapped around the younger’s shoulders, playing with his shirt sleeve. 

“Which doesn’t seem normal, but okay.” They had iced it a few times but obviously not all day and also, there were a lot of other bruises on his body that could have needed icing that Niall’s mother hadn’t even seen and never would. 

“If it’s not better by the end of the week then we can go somewhere. Happy now?” The older boy asked and Niall just shrugged, but he did put his head back onto Liam’s shoulder, a little freaked out by the thought of Liam having to fight anybody with that hand in a few days. 

“If what isn’t better?” Liam’s dad asked as he came back from the kitchen with even more snacks of which Niall felt terribly jealous but he was also too lazy to move and ask for some. 

“Liam’s hand.” Niall’s mother explained before anybody else could have and Niall just knew that Liam already regretted watching this movie with their parents but they were already here and had been here for half of it so they couldn’t have just left. 

“What happened with it again?” Geoff asked and now Niall really did feel bad for Liam. 

“It got a bit squished when I was in that accident.” The boy lied smoothly, but at the same time he was kinda nervously playing with Niall’s shirt sleeve. “But I went to a doctor, so it’s gonna be fine, it’s just a little swollen because it’s only been a few days.”

“I’m still surprised they found a flight for you that quickly.” It didn’t sound as if he was doubting Liam’s story or anything, but it did sound as if he had been thinking about it and Niall felt a bit of tension going through his own body as well as Liam’s. “But I suppose they got a lot of money at that agency and it was one of their cars that got into an accident, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah… it was.” Liam answered slowly before clearing his throat a little and lucky for him, the commercial break ended a second later and everybody went back to watching the movie. Well, their parents did, Niall couldn’t help but share a glance with his boyfriend, stretching a bit until he could kiss his cheek briefly and Liam brought himself to a smile. 

It was already a bit late for a Sunday night but Niall was kinda happy about the distraction the TV brought them even if it meant that their parents were asking a few questions. All day they had been talking through any kind of scenario that could happen if they did one thing or the other but in the end, nothing had come out of it. Niall hadn’t even decided yet what he was going to tell Harry and Louis, if he was going to tell them anything at all and at this point he kinda knew that they would both just wait and see what would happen. It’s what they did best after all, sadly enough.

“Oh, before I forget it, we’re going to fixate the date for the wedding tomorrow, so if you got anything coming up last minute, it’s your last chance to say it.” Niall’s mother kinda stopped them from going upstairs a while later when the movie had ended and Niall kinda wanted to laugh because he had completely forgotten about that wedding. 

“Is it still gonna be that castle?” Niall asked, feeling his stomach growing a bit warmer when Liam laughed softly into his ear, the older’s arm wrapped loosely around him from behind and Niall let himself fall more into the other’s warm body. 

“I thought you liked it?” Right, Niall may have exaggerated a little because he had been a little more concerned with other things last weekend and had simply wanted to be left alone with Liam. 

“I do, I do, I just… it’s… it’s a bit… far away from any civilization. But maybe it only felt that way because it was only the four of us there. Anyways, I don’t have anything. Li?” Niall quickly asked to distract from himself when his mother lifted her eyebrows in question. 

“Me neither.” The older boy still sounded amused, tightening his arm a little and kissing the younger’s head even though Niall’s mother was staring straight at them. She had stopped being excited about them sharing a single touch though, so that was at least something. 

“Oh, can Louis and Harry come as well? I told them I’d ask.” Normally Niall wouldn’t have asked that, but seeing as they were inviting so many people already, two more surely wouldn’t make a difference. 

“Of course, I was going to invite Louis’ family either ways.” She seemed somehow very thrilled that Niall had asked and shown interest, so the younger boy felt himself relax even though mentioning his two friends reminded him of a few other unsolved things. “I’m sure his sisters will be so excited to see that castle. And yours as well, Liam.”

“Yeah, I just hope my mom allows them to come, they’re not that good on flights and long travels in general. Have you ever met my mom before actually?” Liam asked casually and Niall would have maybe thought that that was a weird question, but somehow it didn’t feel like it. 

“No, I haven’t sadly, but I’m sure we’re going to meet before the wedding.” It sounded like she really wanted to somehow, as if she didn’t think it was weird or anything and to be fair, Liam’s mother was married with kids from another man, but still. “Speaking about all that, actually… I didn’t wanna say anything to you yesterday because you two were holed up in your room all day and then you had to work but there’s something I wanted to talk to you about, Niall.”

“Uh, about what?” Niall felt himself blush because of what she had said, not because it wasn’t true but because his mother mentioning it casually was making him a little embarrassed. 

His mother didn’t speak up immediately, her eyes clearly went to Liam for a moment as if she wasn’t sure if now was the right time in front of him and probably also because it was like 10 pm, but then she seemed to decide that it didn’t matter. “It’s about your father, but we should probably talk about that tomorrow or-“

“What about him?” Niall had felt his heart speeding up immediately because that was the very last thing he had expected somehow. “You, uh, you’re not gonna invite him to the wedding, are you?”

“God, no, he wouldn’t even show up, you know we didn’t really part on good terms.” Clearly. “No, I actually bumped into him yesterday and we briefly talked but the reason I’m telling you is because I had no idea that he lived here again.”

“Wait… he does?” Okay, now that was even more of a surprise and also… maybe he had never even left, right? Like, who knew? “But what did you talk about, I mean, um… did you, uh, talk about me?”

At this point, his mother got clearly uncomfortable and Niall could feel his own body stiffen but he could also feel tension going through Liam’s at the same time. That means they had, right? If she was telling him and everything, that had to mean something. 

There was a question on the tip of Niall’s tongue that he wanted to ask but then didn’t and told himself it was stupid because why would he have even wanted to know if his father wanted to see him? If he even cared about Niall at all because he hadn’t cared about him in 20 years so… 

“I think we should really rather talk about this tomorrow.” Niall’s mother finally concluded and Niall felt a bit irritated because why would she have just brought it up then?!

“Why? We can talk now.” Niall felt Liam’s arm around him move a little until he could rub the younger boy’s, probably in an attempt to calm him but Niall didn’t even really notice. “So you did talk about me?”

“I mean, yes, we did. I just wanted to tell you as soon as possible in case you bump into him somewhere and… anyways, there’s something else I need to tell you, but that’s no Sunday night kinda conversation.” Okay, what did that mean?!

“Why not? You already brought it up now.” Niall could feel himself getting impatient, it’s just, everything was already shit so why was his mother randomly adding onto that pile of things Niall needed to worry about without even giving him proper explanation?

“I know, but only because you’re going back to uni tomorrow and if he just recently moved here, I- I don’t know, you might bump into him so I had to tell you at least that. The other thing-“

“How would I even bump into him though, I don’t know what he looks like and he has never even seen me.” He wouldn’t just go to Niall’s uni and look for him, right? “Also, he didn’t wanna know anything about me in 20 years, he just left you when you were pregnant, so why would he-“

“He didn’t know about you.” Niall’s mother interrupted all of a sudden, taking a deep breath afterwards and Niall felt his mouth drop at the same time as Liam stopped stroking his arm… one fucking second.

“You… You never told him? He didn’t even know I exist?!” What the fuck?!

“No.” His mother admitted, her face guilty but at the same time she seemed a bit relieved, probably because she had kept that secret for this long and… Niall’s entire life suddenly seemed to be a fucking lie. “Niall-“

“You let me live all my life thinking my own father didn’t give a shit about me when in reality you never even told him you were pregnant?! And you’re just randomly telling me that on a Sunday night?!” Was this even real?!

“I didn’t wanna tell you now, and it’s different than you think, so please stop yelling, alright?” How could he have though, like, what even was this shit show?

“I can yell all I want, you lied to me all my life! Why did you even tell me, if he doesn’t know I exist then how would I ever bump into him?! You told me part of the reason he left was because he didn’t want kids!” Niall had stepped away from Liam without even noticing, for the first time in what seemed like forever forgetting about what other problems they had going on because this was just the cherry on top right here.

“Niall, I left your father because he was bonded with another woman and it would have never worked out, I didn’t want him to think he had to stay because of a child and I told you often enough how he treated me, I just wanted him out of our lives. And yes, I’ve wanted to tell you countless times, but I was afraid you would wanna contact him and… I know it wasn’t fair to you, but, Niall, I was afraid and you were too young and I didn’t want you involved in any of this mess and I never wanted to see him again and then you got older and I just couldn’t tell you the truth anymore and now… when I saw him yesterday he came over to talk to me, it was really random at the store and… he kept asking and asking about what happened back then and… eventually I told him about you. Like I should have 20 years ago. I’m sorry, love, I wasn’t going to tell you now and like this, I shouldn’t have lied to you, but I was doing what I thought was best for us.” She looked as if she was close to tears and Niall didn’t know what to say, hell, he hadn’t even had any time to comprehend this and just… what the hell, why was this all happening at once?

“You told him about me yesterday in the middle of the store?” Niall was honestly speechless, like this whole conversation somehow felt surreal as hell, he barely even noticed Liam’s father having walked back into the living room upon hearing them fight by the stairs, but he was still somewhat aware of Liam being there with him, somewhere behind him, even if it didn’t really make a difference right now. 

“Yes, and he wants to meet you, I showed him a picture of you and that’s why I had to tell you just in case. Niall, I know I should have told him sooner, but when we broke up 20 years ago he left and he moved away and I had no way to contact him anymore after that, so I had to live with my decision never having told him about you and I’ll be honest, I never regretted it. But yesterday when we got talking, I… and especially because he told me he moved back here a while ago already, and he asked me whether I had children and… I knew it was the right thing to tell him about you finally. I would have told you yesterday but I didn’t wanna disturb the two of you.” She looked as if she was about to reach out for Niall so the boy automatically took a step back, suddenly feeling himself bumping into Liam, feeling the older’s hand coming to a rest on his waist. 

“And he just believed you like that?” And he wanted to MEET Niall?!

“I mean, you’re already off age, I had no reason to lie to him and… I don’t know, it seemed he might have suspected it maybe, but I can’t say. Niall, I’m really sorry for keeping this from you and from keeping you from having your father in your life, but back when I made that decision it seemed the right thing to do, I was scared and I was alone and I just wanted him gone, I know that’s no excuse but I also can’t change it anymore. Me and him are never going to work out our differences again and I don’t know if he’s the kinda father I always wanted you to have, but it’s your decision if you wanna meet him and if you wanna keep in touch, you’re old enough and I shouldn’t have ever taken that decision from you when you were younger. I’m sorry.” Niall’s mother sounded as if she was sorry and regretted it, but Niall couldn’t just put away his anger and forget about it because…. he had spent all his childhood looking at other people’s fathers thinking his own didn’t care about him, told himself it didn’t matter, that he didn’t need a father and now all of a sudden… all of a sudden none of that had even been necessary?

“I…. I don’t know what to say or think right now.” Niall admitted, kinda wanting to yell at her and kinda wanting to cry, so he was really grateful when he suddenly felt Liam gently trying to turn him around to look at him. 

“It’s okay, baby, you don’t need to say anything right now, just take a deep breath, yeah?” He could probably tell that Niall was really freaked out, Niall could feel himself shivering a bit every few seconds, maybe from anger or whatever else, but looking into Liam’s eyes while trying to steady his breathing was somehow making things a little better. “It’s gonna be okay, everything’s fine.”

Actually, nothing was fine at all, it hadn’t been fine before this conversation and it sure as hell wasn’t fine now and Niall would have told Liam that but he was afraid he would have just started crying from feeling so stressed out, so instead he wrapped his arms around the older’s neck, pressing his face into his shoulder as he tried to calm down. 

How much more fucked up could everything actually get?

Nobody said anything for a while, Niall’s mother might have as well left, Niall wouldn’t have even noticed, he just held onto Liam for dear life, trying to somehow keep a clear thought, think about what to do or say now and how to deal with all this shit, but nothing came to him. Now suddenly he had a father who wanted to meet him, Liam’s boss would come back in two or three days, Liam was injured, Niall had lied to his friends for months, everyone thought Niall and Liam were bonded when they really barely only had had sex and… and Niall just kinda wanted to lie down.

“Can we go upstairs?” Niall whispered to Liam after what must have been minutes, the older boy just having held him tightly and rubbed his back, apparently not knowing what to say either. Or maybe he had just been trying to give Niall a chance to calm down, which hadn’t worked, at all. 

“Sure, baby.” Liam mumbled back, probably still loud enough for Niall’s mother to hear but Niall didn’t even care anymore. Like, what the heck? She had been lying to him, his entire life, just to randomly tell him the truth NOW?!

Niall only pulled away from Liam unwillingly, rubbing a hand over his face but letting one arm slip to wrap around the older’s waist instead, kinda not wanting to look at his mother right now, but he didn’t have much of a choice. “Niall, I know what I have done and I can’t imagine how you feel right now, but I love you and I always only wanted the best for you, now and then. And it’s your decision now what you wanna do, I got your father’s phone number here if you want it, I didn’t just wanna give him yours without asking.”

Well, she had also just told him about Niall without asking, had shown him pictures of Niall without asking, had lied to Niall for his entire life just to randomly bring it up now, but okay.

Niall didn’t say anything, he barely looked at her when she went to get a piece of paper from her coat and it was Liam who reached out to take it when the younger boy didn’t really react, suddenly not even sure anymore whether he even wanted to have it. He knew that his father couldn’t be that great, that just because he wanted to meet Niall didn’t mean they’d get along or that he would even like him, that maybe he’d see right away why his mother had left him all these years ago. So really, Niall didn’t even know if it was a good idea.

Just like he didn’t know what to do with Harry and Louis or how to help Liam or how to even survive the next few days.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Liam sounded a little helpless as soon as Niall had belly flopped onto the older’s bed, face buried in his pillow even though that meant he could barely breathe. Maybe that was a good thing. 

“I don’t know.” Niall told him truthfully, shivering a bit when he felt the older boy moving his hand underneath Niall’s shirt as he sat next to him on the mattress, stroking the skin he found underneath. “I don’t know what we’re gonna do.”

“What do you mean?” He asked quietly, his palm feeling soft and warm against Niall’s back and Niall thought about turning around but then he didn’t.

“Everything. Everything going on… what are we gonna do?” Truly, they had to find a solution at some point but it seemed things were just piling up instead of getting less and Niall didn’t know anymore how to deal with that or where to start fixing stuff. 

Liam didn’t answer for a moment, he just kept stroking Niall’s back and the younger boy almost thought he didn’t know what to say or something, but he did say something then, maybe not what Niall had wanted to hear but maybe what needed to be said. “I think you should meet with your father and I think you should tell Harry and Louis the truth and concerning everything else with my boss… I don’t think we should do anything out of pressure, I’d say we wait until he calls me and what he wants and then we can still decide and… if I’m being honest, I don’t want him to meet you, ever.”

“What if he still finds out we’re not bonded?” Liam made it sound easy somehow, as if everything they had to do was wait and let things figure themselves out, but sadly Niall knew the older boy too well and he knew he was just trying to make him feel better, leave Niall out of a lot of things and deal with them himself. 

“He won’t, if he suspects anything then we can talk about it again, but I… I don’t wanna do this because of him and because we’re scared, it shouldn’t be like that, that’s not the point of it. And I love you more than anything and I know it feels right and I wanna bond with you but not like this.” For a second, Niall thought he’d be disappointed somehow, but that feeling never came somehow, so he turned around instead to get some more air into his lunges, Liam’s hand slipping from underneath his shirt as the younger boy lied on his back instead, Liam leaning over him. 

“Okay.” Was all Niall said in the end, because there was nothing else to say right now and he didn’t even know if he meant okay as in, okay, he would tell Louis and Harry and meet his father and let Liam handle everything else, but okay, he also didn’t want them to bond just because of Liam’s boss. He would have though, he would have done everything to keep Liam safer. 

They looked at each other for a moment, neither of them saying a word and Niall slowly moved his hand up the older arm that he was using to support himself, grabbing a light hold of his biceps, watching his own fingers stretched over the older’s tattoos that he knew so well by now that he could have seen them with his eyes closed.

Eventually Liam got the hint and he leaned down fully over Niall until their noses were brushing and Niall could breathe him in, letting his eyes fall closed and once again pushing everything else into the back of his mind. In the end, nothing mattered except for Liam and their relationship, in the end this was everything Niall wanted and he would have done anything to make sure that at least things between them stayed the way they were right now.

Liam moved slowly to lie on top of the younger boy as he kissed him, softly and without any haste even though it was quite late, but it was obvious that neither of them would be able to sleep anytime soon and being close to Liam was everything Niall wanted right now so he let it happen gladly, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend to keep him close as they kissed, as if it would solve all their problems.

Niall’s next heat was still a week or so away and Niall also didn’t feel anything right now, but kissing Liam in bed after everything and the fact that they hadn’t done anything the past two days kinda got Niall a little desperate when Liam’s tongue finally slipped into his mouth. They weren’t really wearing all that much because they had already gotten ready for bed before the movie and Niall could feel it immediately when the older boy moved their hips together just a little, maybe just to see if that’s what Niall wanted and the younger boy grabbed a fistful of Liam’s hair as he sighed against his lips. 

“Liam… “ Niall started when they pulled apart for just a moment to catch some air, their lips still brushing. 

“Hm?” The older boy made, slipping in between Niall’s spread legs as the younger boy readjusted them for a better angle, already pulling on the hem of Liam’s shirt, leaning his head back a little as Liam kissed down his neck, his beard scratching against the sensitive skin. 

“Make love to me… “ Niall half whispered and normally he wouldn’t have worded it that way, but he wanted Liam so badly that it hurt and he could feel a shudder going through the older’s body as he said those words.

There was no answer, but Liam lifted his head again to kiss the younger boy once more, getting his arm underneath Niall’s body so that he could hold him closer as he licked back into his mouth and suddenly, it wasn’t all too sweet and innocent anymore. They hadn’t done these things a whole lot of times, but somehow they were still moving together as if they had and Niall hadn’t been with too many other people, but it never been this easy and natural with anybody else. 

Niall was half hard by the time Liam finally sat up a bit so they could both get rid of their shirts, the older’s face and chest flushed, his eyes dark, but Niall only got a very brief glimpse before Liam was already kissing him again, moving their hips together with more purpose now, their pants slowly starting to become annoying as hell. “Can we… can we just take them off?”

“Yeah… yeah, wait.” Liam’s breath was going quick as he briefly pressed their lips together again before sitting back up and Niall could barely stand not touching him as he just stared at his half naked body, somehow still not being able to believe that he was all Niall’s. “Lift your hips a bit- oops.”

“Don’t pretend like it was an accident.” Niall laughed breathlessly after Liam had pulled down his boxer shorts with his sweatpants, leaving the younger boy completely nude, which was a good thing though because that meant he wouldn’t have to wait even longer. “Hurry.”

“I’m on it, jeez, you’re so impatient.” Liam sounded very happy about that though when he said it before getting naked himself, barely leaving the younger boy a moment to stare at him before already covering his body with his own again. 

For a moment, everything was so intense and good that Niall could have cried, their heated skin was touching in every way possible, their erections rubbing against one another as Liam kept up a steady rhythm of pressing the younger boy into the mattress while snogging him and it could have lasted forever had Niall not gotten even more impatient after a while. Also, he was kinda scared he’d come without Liam’s dick having been inside of him and that was actually what he was craving most right now.

“Li- ‘m ready… fuck.” To be fair, Niall’s body was always ready after just a bit of snogging, but he just wanted to make sure Liam knew because the older boy still took his time kissing Niall some more, chuckling softly against his swollen lips when the younger boy whined without even really meaning to. “Li… “

“Shh.” The older boy made, but he moved his hand down the side of Niall’s body, only making things even worse by touching him before reaching his upper thigh, pressing it up a bit up and to the side before doing to the same to Niall’s other leg, making the space for himself wider and leaving the younger boy completely exposed. Fuck, Niall was gonna die. “You okay?”

“Do I look okay?” Niall somehow brought out, leaving the older boy amused as he kissed his cheek softly, breathing out hotly against the younger’s skin before letting his lips trail down to his jaw, leaving kisses there as well while still keeping pressure on Niall’s legs, the stretch almost burning a little but in a really good way. “I’m… gonna ruin the sheets again if you keep this up.”

“I don’t mind… we can just wash them.” The older boy told him, but he was clearly amused as he kissed down Niall’s neck, sucking lightly on his skin but probably not enough to leave a bruise there this time. “Or sleep in your bed.“

“Don’t wanna.” Niall told him breathlessly because even if Liam was with him in bed, he still preferred to sleep in the older boy’s somehow because everything smelled a lot more like him. Also, it felt kinda more comfortable to the younger boy.

Liam did take pity on him after a while, but of course not before lifting his head completely just to stare down at the younger’s face with a crooked smirk on his lips, brushing his fingers softly down Niall’s undoubtedly flushed as hell cheek, rubbing his thumb over his spit slicked bottom lip. “You’re so gorgeous. I don’t tell you enough.”

“You tell me almost every day…” It was true, he did, and it never failed to make Niall blush even though Liam was literally his boyfriend, but compliments like that… they just got the younger boy a little embarrassed was all. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Nialler.” His expression got fonder when he said it, softer, and Niall could barely take the anticipation as Liam leaned down to kiss him again before fully letting go of Niall’s legs to grab a hold of his own erection instead. “Tell me if you need me to stop.”

Niall just nodded to that as he let his eyes fall closed again because they both knew it wouldn’t hurt or anything, his body was made for it after all so that was the really good part about it. The only good part because even though it was easier to get through his heat when Liam was there to help, Niall still wouldn’t have missed it.

He felt a little breathless when he felt Liam pressing into him, his body welcoming the older’s cock and Niall almost bit his lip bleeding trying to hold back, trying not to come from just this because it would have been way too soon. “Fuck… you feel so good… “

“You too, baby… “ Liam’s voice sounded rough and though Niall wasn’t looking at him because he was busy scratching the older’s skin bleeding in an attempt to somehow hold back, he could tell that the other boy felt quite the same.

Having Liam filling him up was something Niall would never get used to, the way it made him feel, as if they had been meant for each other and to be as close as humanly possible and it suddenly made no sense to Niall anymore how he had managed to go so long without it. To be fair, they hadn’t done these kinda things very often, but still.

The older boy waited for a moment once their hips were flush together, Niall’s legs already burning but he still forced himself to wrap them around the back of Liam’s thighs as they breathed against one another without kissing, just getting used to it again even though there wasn’t any pain or anything.

“Please move… “ Niall half whimpered after another moment, not being able to take it any longer.

Liam moved slowly at first, probably to drag it out for as long as somehow possible but the younger boy still already felt pushed to the edge again after only a few thrusts. He could feel the swelling of Liam’s knot whenever he pushed out of him and back inside, the drag a bit tighter each time even though it had barely been a minute or so.

It was something Niall hadn’t really thought he’d enjoy this much, like, having Liam locked inside of him and pumping him full of his jizz, not being able to part from him immediately afterwards even if they had wanted to. It was kinda so dirty and messy but so hot at the same time and Niall was pretty damn sure he had never cum as hard as when it was from Liam’s knot.

“Fuck, baby… “ Liam groaned against Niall’s cheek where his lips were, having built a steady rhythm but clearly having to push harder each time to get his knot back inside the younger’s body and Niall just moaned in response when the older’s erection dead on brushed his prostate, his own cock trapped between their bodies, the friction driving Niall insane. 

Niall’s legs slipped at some point because they simply felt too weak and he just let it happen, let Liam do anything he wanted to him because there was nothing in this world that he enjoyed more. They had to be somewhat quiet or at least pretend to be, but Niall could barely choke back his moans and Liam started kissing him again probably to shut him up a little bit but the younger boy couldn’t have cared less. 

He was so damn close and Liam was brushing his prostate with every thrust now, his knot almost having swollen to his full size and the drag almost being on the edge of pain and pleasure but not really, it was just so fucking good that Niall felt close to tears when Liam finally thrusted into him for the last time, locking them together as he spilled inside the younger boy.

It was more than Niall could take and he came as well in between their bodies, clinging to Liam and keeping their lips pressed together while breathing heavily in a poor attempt to hide what they were doing in here. Not that anybody would have cared, but Niall would have still been embarrassed as hell had he known their parents had heard them.

He could feel his stomach swelling a bit with the amount of jizz Liam was pumping into him and it only seemed to drag his orgasm out even longer and he could hear Liam groaning lowly in the back of his throat whenever Niall squeezed more tightly around him. Fuck, nothing in the world could have compared to this, nothing at all, Niall couldn’t even imagine any of it getting better once they were bonded, but he knew it had to somehow be possible. Pretty sure he wouldn’t survive that then. 

When they were slowly coming down from their highs together, Niall’s fingers and arms were kinda cramping so hard that he kept them around Liam for a little bit longer instead, neither of them saying anything for a moment but instead just trying to catch their breaths. Niall could feel Liam’s heart beating fast against his own, he could feel the older’s hair having gone a bit damp as he brushed his fingers through slowly, kind of a little bit as an apology for having pulled on it so harshly earlier. Not that Liam had ever complained about that because Niall did it all the time. 

“We should do that more often… “ Niall was half joking but also not at all at the same time because hell, they SHOULD have done that more often.

“We should.” Liam agreed, chuckling a bit against Niall’s skin before lifting his head and Niall slowly blinked his eyes open so that they could look at one another. Maybe it was stupid, but somehow all their problems seemed a little bit smaller when he looked into Liam’s eyes, when he saw that fond expression and just knew that Liam loved him and that he would be here whenever Niall needed him, that he wouldn’t ever give up on them. Just like the other way around. “Are you okay?”

“More than okay… you know that.” He could probably tell, had probably expected that answer anyways because it made him smile some more as he leaned down to kiss Niall a few times, each time a little longer than just a peck until Niall was laughing quietly as well, Liam’s breath tickling his skin as he started peppering the younger’s face with kisses. God, Niall was so in love with this boy, it shouldn’t have been legal to love somebody else this much. “Are you?”

“Always, babe.” Liam told him after pulling back, pressing another final kiss to the younger’s forehead before just going over to stroking back his hair.

They were still locked together of course, would be for the next few minutes or so and Niall could feel the pressure in his stomach from Liam’s weight on top of him but he still wished that they could have stayed like this for even longer, live in this blissful moment where nothing really mattered except for the two of them. 

 

\------------------

 

Niall had been staring at the number for what felt like ages, had started 10 text messages or maybe even more before deleting them all again, word by word, feeling stupid and then deciding the next second that he didn’t even care. Truth was, he probably cared way too much, simply didn’t want to admit it to himself even though he had no idea why that was.

It was Tuesday now, the Tuesday Liam’s boss would probably come back from New York, the third day of Niall knowing his father’s phone number and barely having spoken to his mother. Not that he was actively ignoring her like a child or anything, but he was at uni and she was at work and Niall wasn’t really actively trying to seek out a conversation with her because yeah, he was still pissed off as hell.

Liam had told him that he shouldn’t put pressure on himself, that he should only text his dad if he really wanted to and that it was alright if he never actually did it, that it was his choice and nobody else’s. Still, Niall felt like he was making a too big of a deal out of it considering everything else going on, the fact that they still had no solution to any of it and were basically just waiting to see how things were going to turn out. Somehow, Niall had a feeling that that was huge fucking mistake, but at the same time, he also had no idea how to change that. 

“What’re you doing? Didn’t you see me waving? I almost broke my wrist.” Louis’ voice made Niall flinch and though it was stupid and suspicious, he immediately locked his phone, as if the other boy could have somehow told just by seeing the screen and an unknown number that it belonged to Niall’s father. 

“Sorry, I wasn’t looking.” Not a lie at least, not this time. “Don’t you have a lecture now?”

“I mean, the lecture is being held but I thought I’d try to catch up on some other uni work instead.” Seems like he wouldn’t be doing that now because even while talking Louis was already sitting down next to Niall, opening his backpack and searching for something inside while Niall tried to get his facial expression under control and relax a bit. “Have you started studying for any of your exams yet? I’m kinda starting to freak out a little bit, like… I’m always kinda behind, but usually not like this.”

“I mean, I… I tried.” Now THAT was a lie, but a lie that Louis was looking through without a problem and at least it seemed to calm him down so that was something. How could Niall have studied now with everything going on in his life? 

“Don’t tell Harry that, he’s been trying to get me to study for weeks, he even suggested he could quiz me or something. It’s like he’s more scared I’m gonna fail everything than I am.” Louis laughed, finally having found what he had been looking for in his bag, his lunch of course, not a textbook.

“I mean, that doesn’t take much though, does it?” Niall tried to joke, to distract from himself a little bit because he was having a hard time actually concentrating on his friend and those every day problems. Not that they weren’t important, Niall just didn’t really know anymore where his head was at lately. “Maybe it’d be good if he helped you though, I thought about asking him to study with me as well.”

“I thought Liam helps you study?” The mentioning of Liam’s name somehow gave Niall goosebumps even though he wasn’t even quite sure why, maybe because they hadn’t seen each other since this morning. And around 3 times in the hallways, but that didn’t count because they couldn’t have done much without exchanging a few words, maybe a kiss.

The thing was, most of the people Liam had hung out with before were still in New York, and then there was the thing with Zayn of course, which Niall had almost forgotten about, but Liam had stopped bringing it up and now the younger boy felt terrible for not having asked more often. Then again, maybe Liam had stopped talking about it on purpose.

“I mean, yeah. But he’s gotta study as well, so… “ Or not, because Liam was a lot smarter than Niall and somehow he always managed to do everything and still be good at it.

“Right.” Louis said and then there was a pause and Niall just KNEW what the other boy was thinking about right now, so he was more than glad when Louis asked something else, even if that was still not one of Niall’s preferred topics. “Did you have a good weekend with him? I didn’t really get to ask you yesterday. Or is that too private?”

“What? No, yeah, it was really good… I was so happy he came back earlier, I- I mean, obviously I didn’t want him to get hurt or in an accident, but it’s just really good to have him back home, especially because he got hurt… “ Niall knew that he sounded weird while talking about it, but that was because he hadn’t really said this out loud to anybody, Liam had told their parents. “But he’s fine and we just stayed home over the weekend, so… he came to work with me on Saturday.”

“You two really are like a married couple.” Louis laughed, but it sounded kinda fond and Niall just shrugged, but the truth was he was enjoying the hell out of his friend saying stuff like that. “I know you’re not gonna answer this, but I thought I’d check in again since it’s been a while… do you already know what it’s like to get knotted?”

“Seriously?” Niall kinda wanted to laugh, at the same time being embarrassed but also not caring that much anymore as before. So many worse things had happened since Louis had last asked this question and in all honesty… who cared anymore?

“So I take it as in you still h-“

“It feels good.” Niall just said it, shrugging when Louis looked at him with his eyebrows pulled up, almost feeling a little proud. “It’s supposed to feel good, it’d make no sense for it to hurt, I mean… my body is kinda made for it.”

“I can’t believe you’re suddenly being so open about it, what happened to you? Are you okay?” Louis sounded fake concerned when he asked though he was obviously enjoying Niall giving him details for whatever reason. “So it doesn’t bother you that you’re dripping out of your ass and that you’ve got like a gallon of his come in you afterwards?”

“First of all, it’s not _dripping_ and it’s also not a gallon… it’s just- I’m not gonna tell you that. No, nothing bothers me.” It was actually really fucking hot to have Liam’s cum inside of him, his body holding onto it for a while, but Niall wasn’t going to tell Louis that obviously.

“You’re so gonna have like 5 kids with him or something. Hopefully they’ll all have his genes.” It took a second for Niall to realize what Louis had said, the other boy just laughing as he pulled back his arm in time when Niall had reached out to playfully push him. 

Somehow it felt nice, to just talk with Louis like they always had, just two friends at uni skipping classes to do nothing, but at the same time Niall felt weird, because they were both avoiding the obvious topic, the thing that Louis was probably dying to ask about but didn’t, for Niall’s sake. And Niall really didn’t even deserve that. 

“My mom’s gonna invite your family to the wedding by the way. And Harry can come too.” Niall threw in when the silence had lasted too long for his liking though it had probably only been a few seconds.

“Really? Sick, that’s gonna be great.” He sounded genuinely excited for it, probably because he wanted to see that castle and Niall really wished he could have had some of that enthusiasm. He didn’t even wanna know what would have happened by the time that wedding took place. 

“You can help us babysit Liam’s little sisters.” It felt like ages since Niall had seen then, since he and Liam had taken that trip and confessed their feelings, but it had really only been a few weeks. In general, Niall and Liam had met not too long ago, but it just felt like it had been years to Niall, which was part of the reason why he was actually quite sure that he and Liam had to be soulmates. It just wouldn’t have made any sense otherwise. 

“So his family is coming too? Like, his mother and stuff? Doesn’t your mom mind?” Louis seemed surprised by that and Niall got it, but he was a little distracted thinking about other things when his friend mentioned his mother, the unwritten text message on his phone most of all.

“No, Liam’s mom is married and has kids with her husband, so… his parents have been divorced for ages.” Niall shrugged, playing with his phone and staring off into the distance at a group of students walking across campus, his heart momentarily speeding up when he thought he had seen Liam for a second. Probably only wishful thinking. 

“Right.” Louis nodded, and then, when Niall already thought he’d switch the topic, he said the worst thing possible. “Imagine if she invited your dad as well.”

For a moment, Niall just wanted to laugh it off, pretend nothing was going on at all, but like… this was one thing he didn’t have to lie to Louis about, one thing he would have immediately told him about a few months ago and… maybe it’d feel good to tell somebody else. “Funny you’re saying that, she-“

“She invited him?!” Louis interrupted, his eyes having gone wide right before looking disappointed when Niall shook his head. 

“No, but, um… “ Niall started, suddenly not sure how to say it so he looked away quickly, playing with his fingers as he cleared his throat before deciding to just do it. “She saw him, at the store, on Saturday, so, uh, he lives here, in this city and, um, turns out my mom never told him she was ever pregnant with me… like, she only told him this Saturday.”

“Wait, WHAT?! All those years we were making jokes about him and it wasn’t even his fault? Like, he might not even be an asshole?! Wait, wait, why did your mother not tell you? That’s crazy, I- oh my god, does he wanna meet you?!” Louis’ reaction was a lot heavier than Niall would have thought, he almost sounded excited, as if he was happy for Niall or something. “What the fuck, Ni, why’re you only telling me now?!”

“My mom only told me Sunday night and… and we kinda had a fight about it and stuff, but, um, yeah, he does wanna meet me, I’ve got his phone number, but like, I can’t just text him, right? Like, how weird would t-“

“Text him immediately, what the fuck? He’s your dad, I know we were pretending you never needed one but that was because we thought he’s an asshole, but maybe he’s not even half bad. And you’re 20 years old, you don’t need him, if he’s an idiot then just never meet up with him again, but what have you got to lose? You’ve been wondering about him all your life, of course you have to meet him at least once.” He was right, completely, and for a moment, Niall just stared at him, blinking a few times before realizing that there was actually no question whether Niall had to text him or not. Liam was right and all, about no pressure and stuff, but what Louis had just said was exactly what Niall had needed to hear.

“I don’t know what to say though.” He admitted after a moment, having unlocked his phone already and it had gone back to the empty text message.

“Give that to me.” Was all Louis said and Niall didn’t know why but he handed his phone over without thinking, kinda regretting it for a moment but then it was already too late. “Done.”

For a second, Niall almost couldn’t believe it, that he had just let Louis do that without even checking the message first, but it’s not like the other boy had shown it to him or anything and also, Niall wasn’t mad when he saw what his friend had written. 

 

_To Unknown 11:13  
Hi, this is Niall, my mom gave me your number because she said you wanted to maybe meet up with me? I’d really like to meet you._

 

“I don’t know if I _really_ want to meet h-“

“Of course you do, Niall. Also, he’s your father and we don’t even know what he’s like, you can always be rude later if he turns out to be a douchebag.” True, somehow Louis made it all seem really simple, for which Niall was more than glad, relief spreading through him now that this was done. Maybe he should have really just told Louis everything, maybe he’d be able to help them somehow for whatever reason. “I can come with you if you don’t wanna meet him alone… or you just take Liam. I just mean in case it’s weird if you bring your boyfriend… then again, it’d also be weird to bring me, I guess, but just let me know.”

“Thanks, Lou, um, I don’t know, I haven’t really thought about it yet… I think I’d rather go alone, maybe it really would be weird.” Kinda, especially because Niall just knew that Louis would be asking and saying all the wrong things whereas Liam had his own stuff going on and would maybe come off as a little too protective. “But like, who knows, maybe he doesn’t even wanna see me anyways, maybe he was just trying to be polite or something.”

“Why’d he wanna be polite, he’s got no reason to, like, he hasn’t even spoken to your mom since they split up, right? If anything, he would have to be pissed at her for keeping this from him, I mean… imagine finding out in 20 years you’ve got a 20 year old child… I mean, not that that applies to you because you’d obviously know, but still.” Louis shrugged, shaking his head a bit and Niall didn’t wanna feel sorry for his father, but suddenly he did. Like, he didn’t wanna question his mother or anything, but he only knew her side of everything and nothing else, he had trusted her and she had lied to him, so… 

“Maybe he’s still an ass though… and maybe he’s just gonna text me back like, that it was a mistake and that he changed his mind and-“

“Or maybe not.” Louis interrupted, suddenly pointing to Niall’s phone and the other boy literally felt his heart getting stuck in his throat as he looked down at the lit display. 

 

_Unknown 11:15  
Hi, Niall! I’m so happy you decided to text me, I would love to meet you, I can make time for whenever you like, just let me know when it suits you :)_

 

So Niall was really gonna meet his father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi! :D
> 
> i hope you all liked this chapter, im trying to keep it all exciting now because i feel like there have been too many chapters of just fluff and talking haha, so i hope you enjoyed it & its definitely going to keep on being exciting (i hope haah)!
> 
> also i hope you all had a good week, i started my new uni semester and moved into my new dorm room and i already hate it lmao, so hopefully you guys have had better luck this week!
> 
> thank you all for the support and the lovely comments <3


	21. Chapter 21

“Why did I do that? I could have said any day at all.“ Niall had been freaking out for an hour already, he was pacing up and down in Liam’s room, never wanting to come and sit down with the older boy when he asked him to, so Liam had kinda given up on it. “Maybe I should-“

“Ni, it’s going to be fine, okay? Nothing can happen, if you don’t like him, you don’t like him and you never have to see him again, yeah? It’ll be fine.” To be fair, Liam had been a little shocked when Niall had come up to him with Louis a few hours ago, telling him what he had done, that he had let Louis text his father and then proceeded to ask him if they could meet today. Then again, Liam was kinda glad Niall had finally done it and that he was going to get it over with because he was clearly almost bursting with nervousness. “If anything at all happens then just text me or go to a bathroom and call me and I’ll be right there, okay?” 

“But… but what if something else happens while I’m gone?” Liam knew what Niall meant of course, it was Tuesday today, the day he had been supposed to come back from New York originally.

“Nothing will happen, the plane was only ever supposed to land in the middle of the night.” Well, Liam’s plane, he had no idea whether his boss had planned on taking it as well. Then again, he had also flown there with Liam and the rest of the guys and if he decided to take a different plane, it’d surely be later rather than sooner. 

“What if something happens though? You have to call me immediately.” The younger boy demanded and Liam refrained from letting out a sigh as he slowly got up off the bed and instead walked over to Niall, softly catching him in the movement while pacing down the room again, pulling him in with an arm around his waist. 

“Nothing will happen, don’t think about it now, okay?” It had been all Liam had been thinking about all day, mostly about whether he would see Zayn tomorrow at uni or not, he had purposely not talked about it with Niall anymore because fuck, what if Zayn wasn’t there? What if Liam had seriously injured him? Or even worse, what if he WAS there and started another fight? And what if this hadn’t been Liam’s punishment for keeping secrets, what if something worse was coming? 

“I’d rather think about that than my father though, I- I’m so stupid, I should have told him next week or-“

“Niall, look at me.” Liam interrupted, slowly cupping the younger’s face in his palms, waiting until Niall was looking at him, taking a few deep breaths. “It’s a good thing you said today because otherwise you would have only been freaking out until then, okay? And I promise you, it’s going to be half as bad as you think, probably not at all. And if you really don’t wanna go alone, I can come with you or you call Louis.”

“I don’t wanna go alone, but… but I feel like I should. I mean, it’s the first time I’m seeing him and- and anyways, I wouldn’t ever take Louis, I’d take you, but… maybe it’d be too much at once, like… maybe you’d intimidate him or something.” Niall had clearly been searching for the right word and Liam almost had to laugh when he said that, feeling fondness spreading through him as he leaned forward to kiss the younger’s nose.

“Since when am I intimidating?” To be fair, Liam had quite a few tattoos, but… 

“You’re not, not to me anyways, but I was just thinking, he’s my dad and… maybe he doesn’t even know I’m in a relationship, I mean my mom probably told him or something, but like… also, he didn’t ask if I wanna bring anyone, he just said okay when I suggested that coffee place. I don’t even like coffee.” The younger boy added, pulling a bit of a face and Liam couldn’t believe how fucking cute he was. “I’m so stupid, Louis was making me text him all these things.”

“It’s a good thing he did that though, or you might have never actually texted him and I know you really wanted to.” Still, Liam had tried not to put any pressure on Niall, but he was still kinda glad that Louis was so different in his approach because he just knew that Niall would feel so much better once this was over. And then who knew what else would come their ways, it’d be good to have at least one problem somewhat solved by then. “Did you tell your mom?”

“No, not yet… I was going to, but she’s still at work and I don’t wanna call her just to tell her, like… I’m still kinda pissed off at her.” Niall shrugged a little, going in to hug Liam so the older boy let his hands drop from Niall’s face, cupping the back of his head instead and wrapping his free arm around the younger’s shoulders as he held him close. “If she comes home before I have to leave I’ll tell her.”

“Do you really not want me to drive you? I can just drop you off in another street.” Liam kinda really wanted to drive Niall, mostly because he somehow would have felt safer waiting in his car even if it took hours. He didn’t have a bad feeling about Niall’s dad, he just wanted to be on the safe side because after all, this was still a stranger. 

“I’ll be fine taking the bus, thank you… but um, maybe you could walk me to the bus station?” Niall sounded kinda hopeful when he asked, probably because it was very easy to miss that bus because it was never on time anyways and he’d have to wait all by himself in that case.

“’course I will, love. Just tell me when you wanna leave, okay?” They still had some time as far as Liam could tell, but he hadn’t really been looking at a clock because he had been more busy attempting to somehow calm Niall down.

“Okay… maybe I’m gonna cancel, I don’t know yet.” He sounded a little unsure when he said it, tightening his arms around Liam’s waist, so much that it almost hurt and Liam really wished he could have switched places with him right now, take away his fear somehow or find the right words to say. “I don’t know what we’re gonna talk about… “

“I’m sure he’s gonna wanna know lots about you, and he’s probably really nervous as well. If there’s one thing I’m not worried about it’s you finding things to talk about, just talk about uni or Louis and Harry or-“

“Or you. I’m just gonna talk about you.” Niall sounded very serious when he said it and Liam wouldn’t have at all minded if he had been, like… if Niall and his father got along well and Liam would meet him at some point then he’d be more than willing to obviously, it’d be great for Niall to have a relationship with both his parents, Liam really wanted that for him. “Oh my god… maybe… maybe he’s the kinda person who thinks a guy can’t date another guy.”

“If he does think that then you don’t have to sit there and argue with him about it, you can just get up and leave if you’re uncomfortable, okay? And then you call me and I’ll be right there.” Maybe Liam should have really parked the car somewhere close, he would have told Niall beforehand of course, but it would have made him feel a lot better somehow if he thought about everything that could have potentially gone wrong. “You know… if you want me to, I could drive you after all and just park the car somewhere close by and I promise I’m gonna stay there.”

“But then you’d have to sit in the car the whole time and I don’t know how long it’s gonna take, I mean… well, I don’t really plan on spending hours with him, and it’ll already be 6 by the time we meet up… “ The younger boy seemed to consider it now, for which Liam was really glad and also hopeful because he felt like maybe this was really the best solution. Also because he’d spare Niall the bus ride and himself a lot of worries. Ever since his boss had found out about Niall and those guys had talked to Niall at the bowling alley, Liam felt paranoid whenever he left the boy on his own, not that he would have ever told him, but that still didn’t change anything about it. 

“I really don’t mind sitting in my car, I’ll just take my laptop with me, I’ve got loads of uni stuff to do.” Well, not really, Liam was lucky in the sense that he had kinda kept up with all his things to do and the studying, so at least that wasn’t something he had to worry about now. He knew Niall did though and he always made sure to offer his help with whatever the younger boy had to do, but lately it seemed Niall hadn’t been thinking about uni at all. Until now.

“Funny you’re saying that actually… I probably got tons of homework, I didn’t even check yet. I hate myself, I’m gonna mess up my classes and my exams and my dad is probably a dick.” Niall whined into Liam’s shoulder, but he didn’t sound close to tears so the older boy wasn’t getting too panicked. 

“It’ll all by fine and if it turns out you got homework, I’ll help you to get it finished until tomorrow, yeah? I can check for you actually, I got your username and password anyways.” Because this wasn’t the first time Liam had done stuff like this, or uploaded homework assignments for Niall when the other boy had forgotten and called him all freaked out at uni that he didn’t have his laptop with him and only 10 minutes left. They had made it each time though, so that was something.

“I don’t even wanna know, actually… if I survive this and I’ll come back home and you haven’t heard from your boss yet either then I don’t even care anymore if I had homework or not. I just wish today was already over.” Liam would have said the same, but he knew that it was only a matter of time until something would happen and he would get that call, so really, he wished it would have been right now rather than in a few days or something, just to get it over with. 

“It’s gonna be over soon, just be yourself when you meet your dad and-“

“That’s the worst advice ever, Li, sounds like you googled how to calm down your boyfriend beforehand.” At least that made Niall laugh and Liam felt a small smile tugging on his lips as he rubbed his palm between the younger’s shoulder blades.

“Maybe I did, who knows? I kinda meant it though, just try and be somehow natural, like… try not to think too much. You’ve got nothing to lose, right?” He did, the chance to have a father in his life, but Liam wasn’t going to say anything like that of course because he was trying to make Niall feel better, not worse. 

“I guess… if he’s an idiot then I don’t care anyways, I think. I just… you know, what if he’s really nice and everything? And my mom always told me he was an asshole, but she also lied to me, so… what am I supposed to believe?” This was what troubled Niall the most, the thing with his mother, and Liam really got it because his father was a stranger but his mother… Niall had trusted her.

“Twenty years passed since they split up, Ni, people change, especially if it’s been that long. Even if he turns out to be nice, it doesn’t mean your mom lied to you about why they split up.” Technically, she had already lied though and Liam knew that this whole situation was really shit for Niall, he himself didn’t know how he’d deal with it if their places had been switched. “I still think you should talk to her about it all.”

“I will, probably not before I’m meeting up with him though… maybe it’s better like that anyways, I mean, I don’t want her to tell me anything about him beforehand and then I’ll just go into this whole thing all biased and stuff… I don’t even know. I just wish everything was already over.” Niall mumbled the last part and it was clear to Liam what he meant, not just the thing with his parents obviously, but they both knew there was nothing either of them could have done.

Liam refrained from telling the younger boy once more that things would be alright, because he knew he couldn’t have promised that anyways, he just always kept on trying. It was really all they both could have done. 

 

\--------------------------

 

“Baby, if you don’t wanna go-“

“I wanna go, but I also don’t. I don’t know. I’m still early.” Niall couldn’t even remember the last time he had been this nervous, IF he had ever been this nervous. Which, pretty sure, wasn’t at all healthy, like, he was a whole street away from that coffee place sitting in Liam’s car, but his heart was bumping so damn fast as if he had just seen his father coming towards them or something. 

“You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. You look really pale.” Liam sounded worried when he added the last part, squeezing the younger’s hand in his, maybe to get Niall’s attention because he had just been mindlessly staring out of the window. 

“I’m fine. I mean, as fine as I can be.” Letting out a nervous laugh that sounded a bit strangled, Niall tried to force himself to a smile as he looked at his boyfriend, who didn’t really return it though. “If your boss calls or anything else then please call me and I’ll leave immediately. Promise me.”

“Okay, I promise, but I doubt that’s gonna happen. If you do decide to leave for another reason though or if anything happens, no matter what, tell me and I’ll just drive the car over there, yeah? I’m gonna be here the entire time.” Which made Niall feel like a baby kind of, but at the same time it was a real relief to him as well because he didn’t feel too bad about it either anymore when Liam had packed his laptop and told him he’d just work on uni stuff. Also, his gym wasn’t too far away from here, so Niall wasn’t too worried that his boyfriend was going to get bored waiting for him. Not that he would have ever told Niall that anyways. 

“Okay… I think I need to go. I don’t wanna be there after him.” Because then Niall would have to look around and wait in the doorstep of the café to see if some random man noticed him and waved him over. If he was first though, he could choose the table AND he could just wait until his father came over to him by himself… and the thought alone was driving him insane. “If I never come back-“

“Babe, don’t say stuff like that, okay? Everything will be fine, I promise. And if it’s not, we’re just gonna drive back home and fix it somehow, I’m here.” Liam’s voice had gone softer, and so had his facial expression and Niall felt his stomach turning warm as he looked at him before slowly pulling his hand out of Liam’s, going in for the hug instead. 

“I love you.” Niall just wanted to tell him again, because he really and truly meant it with his whole heart and he hoped Liam knew that. 

“I love you too, baby.” Liam answered immediately, holding him so tightly as if he was keeping Niall together somehow, keeping him from falling apart. Which he kinda was most of the time, especially lately. 

They kept holding onto each other for a while, but not too long because Niall really had to get going and the moment he left the car, he started missing Liam terribly and regretted not asking him to just come along. It wouldn’t have been a good idea though, because Niall really needed to do this on his own and force himself to come up with conversation topics and not just rely on Liam the entire time. 

It wasn’t a long walk to the café, but Niall walked rather slowly, not turning back around to the car because he was kinda afraid he would change his mind otherwise. When he arrived though, he was still there 10 minutes before the agreed time and Niall did briefly look around to see if there was somebody sitting on their own, but it was just people his age or families, so he tried to calm himself down as he ordered something to drink, somehow hoping that his father wouldn’t show up after all. Although that was a really stupid fucking thing to hope for because they would have just rescheduled after all, but Niall really wouldn’t have minded at all right now. 

He should have probably been keeping an eye on the entrance door, but he didn’t, he just made sure to choose a good table that was surrounded by other people, just in case, and then Niall just played on his phone, trying to distract himself and waiting for his hot chocolate to cool down a bit. Maybe he should have been googling conversation starters or something, but that would have only freaked him out even more. If that was even possible.

Niall made sure to put his phone on loud though, just in case Liam would call or something, and it was actually right after, maybe half a minute or so, that a man walked into the café, looking as if he was the right age to be Niall’s father and Niall almost had a heart attack right then and there, but then he literally greeted somebody else. Fuck.

Niall was going to die, literally, he wasn’t going to make it, maybe he should have just left and-

“Niall?” The voice almost made Niall choke on his drink because nobody else had come inside and Niall almost broke his neck looking up. Well, maybe not, but it surely felt like it.

“Yeah, um, hi, uh… I didn’t even see you coming in.” Niall sounded like a fucking idiot, he was staring dumbly at his father, looking completely different from what he had imagined. Or maybe he hadn’t even imagined anything at all, but he was still surprised that he looked like an average father, actually kind of nice, not somebody who would have made him feel uncomfortable.

“There’s a second entrance over there.” Oh. “But I see you already got something to drink, I’m gonna go get something, okay? I’ll be right back.”

“Yeah, sure, okay.” Fuck, Niall was so nervous, he didn’t know what to do, his throat felt dry and he knew if he had picked up that cup again he would have spilled it all over the table.

Somehow he wanted to text Liam while his dad was gone, for the few seconds he was at the counter, but instead, Niall was just stuck on watching him, watching him talking to the barista and everything even though he couldn’t hear what they were talking because the place was really loud. This felt so surreal, that it was really happening, Niall was looking right at the person that he had wondered about all his life. 

When he came back to the table with his coffee or whatever, Niall didn’t even know how to look at him, he also briefly remembered that they hadn’t even shaken hands or anything, but it was already too late anyways and Niall was already nervous as shit, so whatever, he would have only embarrassed himself further if anything. If that was even possible considering the few words they had exchanged. 

“I, uh, I would have ordered you something, but, um, I didn’t know what so… “ Niall let out a nervous laugh, knowing that his dad knew that he had lied, but whatever.

“No worries. Have you been here for long?” He didn’t seem nervous at all actually as he sat down opposite Niall, not like he and Liam had discussed, but maybe that was a good thing because it would have only made Niall more nervous too. Plus, it would have potentially made things more awkward. 

“No, only a few minutes, I was a bit early, so… “ Niall almost added that his boyfriend had driven him, just to immediately get a reaction to that, but then he swallowed it down and instead awkwardly took a sip from his hot chocolate, trying to stare at his father without being too obvious about it. He was probably being pretty damn fucking obvious though, so maybe it would have been better if he had just admitted it right away. “I’m… I’m really nervous.”

“I can tell.” His father smiled though, as if he was trying to make Niall feel more comfortable or something, but the boy wasn’t really sure if it was working. “There’s no need to be, I promise. I know this has probably all come out of nowhere for you, it has for me as well. I’m just really happy you decided to contact me, I didn’t actually think you would.”

“Why?” Well, it made sense why, but like, Niall was just trying to say something. 

“I mean, you are twenty years old, you’ve got a whole life going on and you have obviously managed to live it without a father, so I was afraid maybe you wouldn’t wanna meet me.” To be fair, when Niall had talked to his mother Sunday night and she had tried giving him that phone number, Niall hadn’t even thought about reaching out for it, Liam had done it for him, and it had been Louis who had sent that text message as well, but no one had to know that. 

“Yeah, I, uh… I thought about it, like… mom told me Sunday night and… but you only, like, she only told you about me on Saturday, right? So I thought… I thought maybe you didn’t even believe her or something or that you wouldn’t care or… so.” Niall awkwardly concluded, looking down at his hands while talking because otherwise he would have stumbled over his words even more than he already was. 

“Niall, I can promise you that I would never NOT care, if I had known about you, I would have tried to be in your life way earlier, as soon as possible or even from the beginning. And I really don’t want to talk about what happened between me and your mother because that is long in the past, I just want you to know that I didn’t leave because of you, I didn’t know about you until a few days ago.” He sounded very honest saying these things, and Niall knew they were true after all, so he just nodded along, nervously licking his lips because they had gone dry. 

“I know, um… mom told me, so… I still thought maybe you wouldn’t actually wanna meet me or something and… I wasn’t sure if… if I wanted to.” He admitted to it because he thought it would be best to just be honest, and like Liam had rightfully pointed out, there really was nothing for Niall to lose. “But, yeah, um, I’m glad that… that I texted you.”

“Me too, Niall.” His father smiled when Niall looked up very briefly, trying to return it somehow before he would get terrified of silence following. But it didn’t. “So you go to university? What are you studying?”

So Niall spent a few minutes talking about university, which was a relief somehow because at least he had things to say about that and it almost seemed to him as if his father actually cared somehow? Like, as if he wasn’t just asking because he wanted to say something but because he was interested in Niall’s life or something. Which, actually, kinda made sense, but Niall just really hadn’t expected that because like… he had gone all his life thinking his father didn’t care. 

Somehow Niall was a little reluctant telling his father that he had repeated a year in high school, but then he just talked about that as well before continuing to talk about Louis and Harry and his job at the cinema and eventually… well, eventually it had to happen that Niall didn’t really think too much about what he was saying anymore. 

“And Liam-“

“Wait, wait, who is Liam again?” Okay, maybe Niall had cramped a bit too much information into the last few minutes, just somehow trying to keep on talking and be interesting even though he knew that that was stupid. His father didn’t seem annoyed though, just confused and as if he was really trying to follow the boy’s story.

“Um, right, he’s uh… so he’s my step brother, kind of.“ Niall explained carefully, for the split of a second actually thinking about not carrying on, about just leaving it at that, but like… if this man had something against him dating Liam then why would Niall still waste his time here? “He’s also, um… my boyfriend.”

“Oh?” So Niall’s mother hadn’t said anything about that. 

“Yeah, uh, we’ve not been together for that long, but… yeah.” Fuck, Niall knew that his face was red as hell, he tried to hide it behind his cup for a second, but turned out there was actually no need. 

“Well, that’s wonderful. Is he also an Omega?” Not the kinda question Niall had expected and for a moment he thought about how he had never told his father that he was an Omega, but obviously, he could tell, just like Niall could tell that he was an Alpha even if they were related. It was a relief though that at least he couldn’t have smelled Niall’s heat in case it would have come early again, maybe triggered from stress or something. 

“No, uh, he’s an Alpha.” Niall explained, again staring at his own hands for no reason because hell, why was he acting like he was 12 and had his first crush? 

“Oh, alright. So, he’s the son of your mother’s boyfriend?” He asked as if he wasn’t sure, which probably was Niall’s fault for not explaining things well enough and just blurting out with everything.

“Right, yeah. So… we actually live together since a few months now.” He tried to make it sound funny somehow, but it probably just came out weird. God, why was Niall still nervous? 

“That’s real luck then.” His father noted with a smile and yeah, he was kinda right, wasn’t he? “Tell me about him.”

So Niall did, which turned out to be a lot easier than thought because it was his favorite topic anyways and at some point Niall decided to just take out his phone, making sure he had no suspicious messages on it before showing his father pictures, of Liam, of Louis, of his uni, and for a few minutes, everything felt normal. And maybe, or certainly, it was stupid as fuck, but somehow Niall felt a bit hopeful. 

His father didn’t seem like an asshole, not at all, and yeah, Niall still barely knew him, but he wasn’t at all like the boy had feared. He seemed interested and as if he cared, as if he really meant it when he said he wanted to meet Niall’s friends and Liam, as if he was genuinely happy that Niall’s mother was going to get married and that they were all doing well. 

“Do you, um, do you have a family?” Niall finally asked the question after he had only been talking about his own life, still not even having finished half his drink because of how much he had been saying. 

“I don’t.” His father answered after a moment of hesitation and Niall wanted to apologize for asking, but he never got the chance and it seemed there also wasn’t a need. “I just had a relationship end about two months ago, so…”

“Oh, okay. I’m sorry.” Niall felt bad now, but also, he was maybe a little relieved. Like, what if he had had half siblings all his life that he had had no idea about? 

“No need to be. My job keeps me really busy anyways.” He shrugged, taking a sip of his coffee and probably sensing what Niall had been about to ask next so he made sure to answer the question beforehand. “I work at a law firm.”

“You’re a lawyer?” No idea why Niall was so surprised by that, maybe because he had thought his father had a more casual job somehow, or at least not a job like that when his mother had always told him that his father had been so awful to her.

“I am.” He nodded before hesitating for a moment, sounding a bit worried when he continued. “You’re not asking because you need one, right?”

“What? No, no, I… my life is way too boring and normal for that.” Well, not really, but as far as everybody else except Liam was concerned. 

“Your life doesn’t sound boring at all, Niall. It rather sounds as if you’re in a really good place right now.” Hearing that kinda surprised Niall because actually, his life was a freaking mess and he had almost died from nervousness just before and in the back of his head all he kept thinking was that Liam was waiting for him in his car, hopefully not having gotten a phone call yet. “Especially when you’re talking about your boyfriend.”

“Yeah, uh… “ Great, now Niall was getting blushed again, he just couldn’t help it because he knew it was true after all. He loved Liam, with his entire heart, and somehow he was really happy that it showed to people who had never even seen them together. “He’s really great, he’s like… the most important thing to me.”

“Are you bonded?” He asked casually of course, because he couldn’t have known where Niall’s thoughts would go to immediately and the boy couldn’t help but sit up a bit more straight as he cleared his throat, for a second not knowing what to say.

“No.” Niall answered after a second, feeling a bit stupid about it too because like, why would he not be able to tell his father the truth when he literally had nothing to do with any of this? “We haven’t been together for that long, so… we wanna take it slow and stuff.”

“That’s a good decision, no need to rush anything. And you’re both still young.” It sounded as if he approved of the way they were handling things and Niall didn’t know why he would have cared, but somehow he did. Also, it reminded him of the conversation with his mother right after he had told her that he and Liam were together, how she had told him that his father had been bonded with another woman and Niall kinda wondered about that but it would have kinda felt out of place to ask right now.

They had a bit more smalltalk about things, and by the time Niall felt like he had let Liam sit in that car for way too long already, his father luckily also looked as if he wanted to leave. Or needed to, who knew what kinda working hours he had, Niall wouldn’t have known because he had barely asked about his job or his private life. 

“Well, I’d be happy if you’d wanna meet up again anytime you want really. Or if you need anything at all, please don’t hesitate to call me. I know this is all still new for both of us, but I really hope I can be a part of your life.” He said it when they were already standing outside the café, Niall having been kinda relived that his father apparently needed to go into the other direction. He had told Niall he could drive him home, but Niall had declined of course, just making up some excuse and the man hadn’t kept pushing at all.

“Yeah, of course.” Niall agreed immediately because this had gone a whole lot better than he would have ever thought. “I got exams and stuff coming up, but like… it’s not like I never have any time, so…”

“Okay, great. Then get home well, alright? I hope we’ll see each other again soon.” He smiled, not going in for a hug or anything but rather shaking Niall’s hand and the boy was kinda glad about that because after all, they had only met today.

“Me too.” It wasn’t a lie, not at all actually, and when Niall turned around to walk away, he somehow felt a hundred times better and he made a mental note to thank Louis for pushing him this much today at uni. Not that his friend wouldn’t have asked about it obviously and actually, Niall had told his father about Louis writing that message after a while and he had thought it was rather funny, so it had made for some conversation as well.

Niall would have texted Liam how it had gone, but he was only a few minutes away from his car so he just made sure to walk a bit more quickly, somehow really excited about telling his boyfriend about what had happened. At the same time though, he was slightly nervous, because who knew what had happened in those 2 to 3 hours that he had been gone for? It was already after 8, kinda late but not late enough as to where there was no chance anymore that Liam’s boss would come home today.

Somehow Niall was really relieved when he saw Liam’s car and the older boy inside, like, not that he would have thought he had left, but it was just more proof that nothing had happened and that Liam had just been sitting there on his laptop from the looks of it.

“Hi, thanks for waiting, I’m sorry it took so long.” Niall had made sure to get Liam’s attention before opening the car door to the passenger side as to not startle his boyfriend. 

“Don’t worry about it, baby. You look really happy, how was it?” A smile was growing on his face as they looked at one another and he slowly closed his laptop that he had on his lap, immediately reaching over to cup Niall’s cheek and Niall just couldn’t help himself, he just had to lean over and kiss Liam briefly before saying anything.

“Really good, actually. He’s not a dick at all, he’s like… he actually seems really nice. He said he really wants to meet you.” Niall hadn’t planned on just blurting out with that as well, but then again, why not? Now that this was done with and his father had turned out to be a nice person, Niall really wanted Liam to meet him too. 

“I’d love to, if you want me to as well. I’m glad he’s nice, I was a little worried right when you left. What’s he like?” Liam’s hand was still cupping Niall’s cheek, slowly rubbing circles into his skin with his thumb and just from the soft expression on his face, Niall could feel his heart growing a little warmer. 

It was only the younger boy talking for the next few minutes, filling Liam in on everything, and he seemed really happy about it, nodding along and it was only when Niall was slowly running out of things to say that he noticed that he hadn’t even asked if anything had happened while he had been gone.

“Did you, like… get a phone call or anything?” His heart was bumping fast as he waited for an answer even though Liam looked all happy and not at all as if he was worried.

“No, nothing, I would have told you otherwise. I promised, didn’t I?” True. 

“Yeah, I just thought maybe, I don’t know… sorry you had to wait here the whole time, I hope you weren’t too bored.” To be fair, it had been Liam’s idea and he had seemed pretty eager to do it, but Niall still felt a little guilty.

“Babe, it was my idea, wasn’t it? And I wasn’t bored at all, I had my laptop with me and I tried to get this essay finished… “ But then he broke off and Niall was slightly confused because it wasn’t actually like Liam to not get something finished.

“But?” He asked after a moment of hesitation, not really liking the way Liam looked away from his face for just the split of a second, but Niall had still noticed of course. 

“I mean, I got a lot of it finished.” Liam started and Niall just waited for him to continue, feeling the older’s hand slowly slip from his face. “It’s just, my hand-“

“Does it still bother you that much?” Almost immediately, Niall kinda started to panic a little, his eyes searching for Liam’s injured hand, the one he had kept in his lap, maybe so the other boy wouldn’t immediately see it. 

“A bit. The typing probably wasn’t a good idea.” Liam tried to make it sound like it wasn’t that big of a deal, shrugging a bit, but he didn’t do anything when Niall reached out, taking his hand in between his and softly pulling it over into his lap in order not to hurt the other boy. It was still in bandages, but if Niall had had to be honest, then Liam’s fingers definitely looked swollen as well. “I’m sure it’s fine.”

“It doesn’t look fine, Li. We should probably let it get checked out. And I should drive.” It was like, a Tuesday night and they’d surely have to wait ages because it wasn’t an emergency or anything, but Niall didn’t care about any of that. 

“Ni, it’s okay, it just started hurting a bit and-“

“What if that was my hand? Would you let me get away with it for 4 days?” No way in hell.

For a second, it looked like Liam was going to actually argue, he already had his mouth open, but then they just looked at one another and he seemed to seriously think about it and Niall knew he had won when the older boy rolled his eyes. “Okay, we can go and let it get looked at. But I’m pretty sure nothing is gonna come out of it and we’re just gonna be wasting our whole night.”

“I can live with that.” Niall didn’t care if he got no sleep tonight, because things had gone surprisingly well and somehow he felt a lot better about everything now. Not about Liam’s hand though.

The older boy did switch sides with Niall without complaining, making sure to kiss him when they both got out of the car and though Niall wanted to hurry up a bit, he couldn’t help of course but to get lost in the kiss for a little bit though they were basically in the middle of some street. At least he wasn’t nervous about driving Liam’s car anymore.

“Take off the bandage.” Niall demanded as soon as they had arrived at the hospital and he had parked the car kinda badly somewhere, so many people in the waiting room that they would definitely be here for at least a few hours. 

“Why?” Liam clearly didn’t want to even though they were already here anyways.

“So I can see how bad it is so that I can go and complain in case it’s really bad so they’ll let you go in sooner.” Not that Niall minded the waiting, he just hated knowing Liam was possibly in pain. 

“It’s already gotten better again since I stopped writing, it’s all good, babe. I promise, okay? I’m gonna survive.” Liam said it with that stupid grin on his face that made Niall’s knees weak, so luckily he was sitting down already. “Thanks for caring so much about me though.”

“I mean, you can’t use your hand anymore, if I weren’t worried about that I’d be a pretty shit boyfriend.” Maybe slightly dramatic, seeing as he could definitely use his hand for pretty much anything, even for wrapping his arm around Niall’s shoulders and pulling him in to kiss his temple. 

“You’re the best boyfriend.” Liam told him and Niall could have sworn he could feel him smiling against his skin, probably from knowing that he was turning the younger boy all blushed and mushy and inside. “I’m so lucky I got you.”

“Stop making jokes about it, it’s ruining the mood.” Also, it was ruining Niall’s naturally pale face color. 

“I’m not joking though, you know that. Also what mood? We’re in the hospital.” He let out a soft laugh, squeezing Niall a bit and the younger boy let his head drop onto his shoulder, trying not to be too worried about what Liam’s hand looked like underneath that bandage. 

They both stayed quiet for a bit, just watching people walking by and stuff until Niall felt himself getting a little bit bored. “Is it okay if I told my dad we’re not bonded?”

“Of course, why would that matter?” Liam sounded confused, he was playing with the sleeve of Niall’s shirt, brushing his skin every once in a while but never failing to give the younger boy a billion goosebumps whenever he did. 

“I don’t know… sometimes I’m getting kinda paranoid that absolutely everything I tell anyone is somehow going to be public knowledge soon.” To be fair, the way Liam’s boss worked was creepy as hell, everything Niall had heard about him sounded a little shady and… for all they knew, he had somehow managed to hack Liam’s or Niall’s phones or some shit like that. 

“You know that’s not true, what happened was just… it was just shit, but it only kinda proves that it must have been Zayn who said something because he was the only one who knew all those things.” Liam sounded a little upset talking about him and Niall really regretted having said anything, but at the same time they sometimes needed to talk about those things and not just pretend nothing was going on.

“Have you heard anything from anyone? Like, regarding Zayn, I mean?” Was he coming back home today as well is what Niall was really interested in knowing, but he just felt Liam shrug a bit against where he had put his head.

“Nope. None of the guys have talked to me but I also haven’t reached out to any of them, I’m pretty sure my boss would find out immediately and I really don’t wanna risk it. Also, I don’t wanna drag any of the other guys into this as well, because if it really was Zayn who spread the whole rumor then he’s the only one at fault. I still wish I knew what I actually did to him…” Liam still seemed regretful and Niall didn’t know what to tell him to make him feel better because he also couldn’t have known how Zayn was doing. And if he imagined it to have been Louis, then he would have also both been angry but also feeling guilty. “At the same time I kinda wish I’ll never have to find out if that means I’ll never get that fucking phone call from my boss.”

“Maybe he’s staying longer.” Or maybe Niall was just trying to somehow make them both feel a little better without any success whatsoever.

“Maybe… but the other guys are surely not, we all already had our plane tickets for today when we left. But whatever happens… I actually doubt that Zayn would start something at uni or so, he didn’t even wanna talk to me when it happened… “ Which was weird as hell, but Niall didn’t say that of course. “And if he doesn’t come back because I really killed him on accident or something… it’s a good thing your father is a lawyer.”

“Li, stop that, okay? You didn’t kill him, I doubt you injured him that badly, I mean, you’ve had tons of fights, how many times did you put someone in hospital for several days?” Not a good question because Niall didn’t know the answer, but he was lucky.

“Never. But I’ve also never been this angry at somebody when fighting them and I wanted to get back home to you so I HAD to win and usually I fight strangers, it was so different and it all went down so fast and… I don’t even know. I hope he’s okay… maybe in a little pain like me.” If Liam still had injuries that hadn’t healed and he was the one who had won the fight then it seemed kinda unrealistic to Niall that Zayn was completely alright, but he agreed with his boyfriend, he hoped Zayn was okay, or would be okay again eventually, but he did deserve a little bit of it. Not only because he had probably ratted them out but also because of what he had done to Liam. “I wonder if your father would genuinely help us if it came down to it.”

“I think he would, he told me to call if I ever needed anything and… I don’t see why he wouldn’t help.” Speaking about that… “Maybe… you know, maybe, if I see him again and like, we get talking then… then I could maybe be subtle about asking him a few things, like, regarding your job and-“

“Please promise me you won’t do that.” Liam immediately sounded so freaked out that Niall quickly lifted his head from his shoulder just to look at him. 

“I wouldn’t mention you, not in any way, I’d think about what to ask before hand and tell you, I just thought maybe… you know, maybe he could tell us what would happen in case you did wanna leave and like… if we went and talked to someone. The police or so. But I would keep it hypothetical.” Not sure if Niall would be good at that, but suddenly it felt like a brilliant idea to him. And only to him.

“I…. I really don’t know if that’s a good idea.” Liam still looked really freaked out, but he was keeping his arm around Niall, looking at him as if he was thinking about it at least. “You only just met him today, Ni, I mean… I wasn’t there and I don’t know him, I just… he’s a lawyer, if you ask him questions like that, he’s probably gonna know you’re not asking out of fun.”

“True… I just thought maybe he could help. I mean, we don’t have any other options and… but I won’t do it if you don’t want me to, I’d never.” Just so he knew, Niall would have never gone behind Liam’s back and judging by how soft the older’s facial expression got at that, it seemed he knew that luckily.

“I know, babe, that’s not what I was worried about. Maybe, if he really wants to meet me too like you said and we know him for a little longer… “ Liam was biting his lip, clearly not too happy about that idea, but this time Niall really felt like maybe this was their only shot. 

“We should probably get to know him better, yeah, but I still think maybe it couldn’t hurt to just ask, you know? Just so we know what would happen in a case like this.” Because how else would they ever manage to solve this mess? How else would Niall be able to help Liam get out of this shithole of a job? “But we don’t have to talk about it now, I just thought of it.”

“I know, maybe you’re right… I mean, maybe after I’ve met him I’m gonna be feeling the same way.” Liam clearly tried to be encouraging, as if he was trying not to make Niall feel as if his idea was shit, which it really wasn’t but Niall understood why Liam was scared as well. It was just all a little, or actually a lot, shit. 

Niall decided to stop talking about it for now, mostly because he was still worried about Liam being in pain even though he kept denying it, but also because there was no use discussing it now anyways seeing as Niall had literally just seen his father and probably wouldn’t meet up with him again in the next few days. First, he should have probably told his mother and talked to her about everything, but he really didn’t want to.

Since they had to wait ages, Niall wasn’t surprised that Louis texted him at some point to ask how it had gone with his father, so Niall made sure to answer him, kinda thanking him for pushing him so much today at uni and for writing that text message. As a result, Louis of course told Niall he could make it up to him by coming on another double date, which Liam thought was absolutely hilarious and just because Niall really enjoyed seeing him laughing again, he didn’t immediately say no.

Liam texted his dad to tell him where they were after about 2 or 3 hours had passed, so Niall’s mother probably knew as well but she didn’t try to contact Niall, for which the boy was actually kinda glad. Generally, nobody else except for Louis ever texted or called any of them and of course that was a relief, but when it was already almost 11 at night or something, Niall could feel himself getting more nervous whenever he glanced at Liam’s phone. 

“When was the plane supposed to land?” They could have checked the airport website and everything, but that would have probably gone too far. Also, who even knew if Liam’s boss was on that plane? Or any plane, for that matter. 

“I’m not sure, now or a bit later maybe… but it doesn’t mean anything. And if I’m being honest, I don’t think he would call me tonight, it’s really late and there’s no way he’s got a flight lined up for tonight.” That did make sense, but Niall was still nervous anyways.

They never really got to discuss this in further detail because Liam’s name was called literally seconds afterwards and Niall just went into the examination room with him because what the hell, he wanted to know what was going on and the older boy didn’t complain anyways. If anything, he looked as if he had been expecting it anyways.

It reminded Niall a lot of when they had been here for his own hand and for the bacterial infection he had had from that dirty water, and to think that that wasn’t even too far in the past, that they hadn’t been dating back then and that Niall had had no idea that Liam had already had feelings for him as well… it was a crazy thought honestly. So much had happened since then, so many good but also bad things and it kinda frightened Niall to think about how many more times they would be here in the future, and for what reasons, because it seemed like it was somehow their spot.

Liam’s hand wasn’t as bad as Niall had feared, but the doctor did scold him for not having come in earlier and he also switched the bandages for something more steady and Niall would have told Liam he had told him so, but he refrained from saying anything because it’s not like Liam had wanted this to happen. He had simply been trying to come back home to Niall.

“Now I really won’t finish that essay.” Liam noted as they left the hospital, reaching out for Niall’s hand with his good one and the younger boy intertwined their fingers without thinking. 

“I can write it for you. I mean, you can tell me what to write and I’ll write it.” He really would have, and he would have also done it for Liam completely had he been smarter. Then again, Liam was older than him and studying something completely different, so it’s not like Niall was required to know any of that stuff. 

“Thank you, love. I’m gonna think about it, actually, because I kinda really don’t know how else I’m gonna ever hand it in.” He let out a quick laugh, leaning over to drop a kiss onto the top of Niall’s head while they were walking. “Do you just wanna keep my car keys forever?”

“Sure.” Niall jokingly agreed, but he was actually glad that Liam was taking the doctor’s advice so serious about moving his hand as little as possible. Even though Niall was pretty damn sure that once his boss called, he would either not say anything about it or pretend like he could fight with it without a problem. 

When they got home, their parents were already asleep and Niall tried not to be too happy about that, but he still was. He knew he couldn’t avoid his mother forever and he also didn’t want to, but he also wasn’t very keen on talking to her anytime soon, let alone tonight. After all, she was still kinda at fault, she had still lied to him and it was a little hard for Niall to just move on from that, especially because his father had turned out to actually be a nice person.

Niall insisted on helping Liam in the shower again like he had before, only this time, they didn’t really have much a choice anyways, even if they risked waking somebody, but like… what else should they have done if Liam wanted to shower? The younger boy also jokingly suggested helping Liam brush his teeth, but if he was being honest with himself, then he would have actually done it.

“I’m kinda really happy you can’t shave on your own anymore.” Niall told Liam once they had finally made it to bed and it was at least midnight by now, with no phone call having happened, so Niall somehow felt a bit energized. “Because I surely won’t help you with that.”

“I don’t know what your problem is with my beard, you’ve never even seen me without at least stubble.” Liam was laughing though when he said it, welcoming the younger boy in his arms after he had lied down in bed, the lights still turned on because neither of them was very tired right now. “You’re lucky they haven’t shaved it off for a photoshoot in months.”

“If they do then you’re just gonna have to drop the job, it’s that easy.” Niall shrugged, half lying on top of the older boy but making sure to stretch a little bit until he was able to reach Liam’s lips with his, only playfully kissing him a few times, but it felt really nice to finally lie in bed together, that this day was coming to an end.

“It’d grow back in like 3 days.” Liam rolled his eyes, but he was smiling, his good hand slipping underneath the younger’s shirt, brushing over his skin and Niall felt a shiver going through his body. “Would you think I was ugly without it?”

“No, I just think it really suits you, is all. Especially when you let it grow a bit more.” As if to proof his point, Niall slowly reached out to brush the back of his fingers down Liam’s cheek and jawline, just staring at him and thinking about how bloody gorgeous he was. 

“Kinda kinky.” The older boy told him, laughing out loud when Niall pulled a face, not really knowing what to say because maybe Liam was right, Niall honestly wouldn’t have even known. “One time I had to shave my chest for a photoshoot, would that bother you as well? Just so I know it for the future.”

“That would bother me even more, why would anybody want you to shave it? It’s hot.” Truly, he looked so good, Niall couldn’t at all understand where these companies were coming from. 

“Because I think you’re the only one who thinks it’s hot.” Liam sounded amused, but it was obvious he enjoyed Niall thinking that way and saying it out loud, so Niall made a mental note to do it more often. It was true after all. 

“Pretty sure most people think you’re hot.” Or all of them. 

“So? I don’t care about what most people think, I only care about what you think.” He said it like he meant it, like it was obvious, and Niall felt his throat getting a bit tighter.

“Does that mean you’re gonna throw away the razor?” Well, Niall kinda needed it as well, but…

“Trust me, you’d stop thinking my beard is hot if I never even trim it. But I can’t do anything about it for a few days now anyways since you refuse to help me, so we’ll see.” He winked at Niall and the younger boy just rolled his eyes, but he leaned in immediately when Liam tried to kiss him.

Niall wouldn’t have at all minded had this gone further even though it was a Tuesday and kinda late, but he just felt really relaxed for some reason. Like, the thing with his dad was done, they had gotten Liam’s hand checked out and there had been no phone call from Liam’s boss, so nothing else could really happen that night, right?

But Niall still didn’t do anything about it, he was just happy with snogging Liam for now, touching him in whatever way he could reach, climbing even more on top of the older boy as they kept going. He was trying to be extra careful though because of Liam’s hand and everything, but the older boy didn’t at all seem as if he was trying to hold back, so Niall wasn’t either.

They did have to pull apart for some air at some point, but Niall kept his eyes closed, just breathing Liam in and trying not to think about anything except for how he felt right now, how Liam tasted in his mouth, how his fingers felt against Niall’s skin and how warm and loved he felt. How he was so terribly in love with this boy that it almost hurt.

For just a moment, a few minutes, everything was fine, everything was perfect and Niall didn’t think anything could change that, but that was only until one of their phones vibrated on Liam’s bedside table.

Niall somehow thought about ignoring it, but his heart was bumping really fast already and when he leaned back a bit further to look at Liam, he saw his own panic mirrored in the older boy’s. Fuck.

“It wasn’t mine...” Niall mumbled after having checked his, still lying half on top of the older boy, not even needing Liam to say anything at all because one look at his face said everything. He was staring at his own phone, an undefinable expression on his face that gave Niall actual shivers. “Liam? What’s going on?”

“I think… “ Liam started, clearly swallowing hard, not even looking at Niall. “I think maybe…. maybe we should stay home tomorrow…”

“Why?” Now Niall genuinely felt like throwing up, he could barely stand the second Liam needed to turn around his phone to show him the screen, but even more when he actually read the message.

 

_Unknown 00:58  
dont let niall go to uni tomorrow. and don’t let him meet his dad. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone :)
> 
> i hope you enjoyed the chapter! i know a lot of you have theories about nialls dad, so im excited to see whether you were right (although i'm not sure yet when i'm going to reveal everything because this fic is already twice as long as i planned on making it, but i just realized there are so many unsolved things so i really don't wanna rush it!) 
> 
> once again, i'm sorry about the cliffhanger, i just always feel like something is missing if i don't end the chapter with something exciting haha :p i promise i'm going to try and not drag everything out in filler chapters anymore like i sometimes do, i know a lot is going on and i feel like we do need to come to an ending at some point lmao
> 
> anyways, sorry for rambling! i hope you liked it and i hope you're excited to find out what's going to happen next and hopefully you all had a great week and a great weekend <3


	22. Chapter 22

“I still think this is a terrible idea.“ Niall had had to say something at some point, after they had both maybe slept for two hours or something, discussing every possible outcome and every theory that had come to their minds with the result that Niall now felt paranoid like never before. “It’s so suspicious if we both don’t show up to uni today.”

“It’s suspicious enough if _you_ don’t show up in case my boss was planning something and I’m not gonna leave you here all on your own. He knows where I live.” Liam had absolutely insisted on them staying together all day long, and Niall had to admit that it made him feel a lot safer to be with his boyfriend, but at the same time he also didn’t know if it was a good idea. 

“So what about tomorrow then? Are we just never going to go back to uni?” Because how could they have gone back? They didn’t even know who had sent the bloody text message though they both agreed that it had probably been Zayn. Which made this whole entire thing even messier because did that mean Zayn was alright? That he hadn’t ratted them out? And how the hell did he know about Niall’s father?! 

“We are, but not today. I don’t know who wrote the message, but whoever did apparently bought a new phone just to send it, so I don’t think we should ignore the warning. We already talked about this all night long, we’re not going anywhere.” It wasn’t like Liam to get impatient with Niall like that, and he was clearly trying to keep calm, but it wasn’t working that well and the younger boy tried not to flinch or pull a face.

Their parents were already gone for work and they were downstairs in the living room, Niall stress eating some snacks they had at home and Liam sitting way too far away from him, playing with his phone because he was obviously nervous. Niall hated this so much, but most of all, he hated that it almost made them argue, that this whole thing was causing them to be so stressed out that Liam had almost snapped at him. 

The thing that got to Niall most though was the fact that his father had been mentioned in the text message, as if he was somehow involved, and what if he was? Niall didn’t even know if the man he had met had really been his father, it could have been anyone at all, it could have even been Liam’s boss for fuck’s sake because Liam didn’t have a picture of him to show Niall and… fuck, they were so screwed, they couldn’t go anywhere, couldn’t do anything, they were trapped. Literally.

“Harry and Louis are gonna ask where I am.” Niall had already told Liam that, but they hadn’t really ended up discussing it and he still didn’t know what to do about it. 

“Then tell them.” Liam almost sounded annoyed at this point and because Niall wasn’t used to that at all since it had never happened before, it kinda hurt even more than it normally would have. 

So he didn’t say anything at all, looking away from the older boy because he was busy with his phone anyways. Of course Niall knew that Liam wasn’t angry at him or annoyed with him, he was just scared and feeling clueless just like the younger boy, but it only made things a lot worse when they couldn’t even talk to each other anymore. 

For a few minutes, they just sat there in silence except the occasional noise Niall made whenever he ate another cookie until they were all gone. Liam was so far away from him that he couldn’t have even reached out for him if he had stretched and even if it had been different, the older boy didn’t look like he wanted to touch Niall right now anyways. Which, honestly, was kinda the worst part about all of this.

Niall really tried to keep it together, tried not to interpret too much into Liam’s behavior because he knew that it wasn’t anything personal, he just couldn’t help feeling his throat closing up whenever he realized that if he didn’t break the silence then Liam surely wouldn’t have. 

“Um… do you think that it was a stupid idea that I told my dad we’re not bonded?” Well, clearly it had been a stupid fucking idea, but Niall genuinely didn’t know anymore what else to say. They had discussed everything for hours and then slept for a bit with the result that they were both tired now but also had nothing to discuss anymore.

“I mean, in retrospect? Yes.” Was all Liam said without looking up and Niall would have rolled his eyes had he not just said it to start a conversation. With no success. 

“So, you think your boss knows about it now? Like, that they know each other and-“

“Niall, seriously? How many more times do you wanna talk about that? I don’t know, okay? I know nothing more than you and yeah, it was stupid to tell him and it was stupid of me to tell my boss that we are bonded when we’re not and maybe we should have gotten that out of the way already but it’s not like things aren’t shit enough already.” Great. 

“Why are you talking to me to like it’s my fault?” Niall finally asked because he couldn’t fucking stand this anymore.

“I never said it’s your fault. You’re asking the same questions over and over again when we both know just as much. I mean, what do you want me to do, do you want me to bite you right now on the couch or something?” Right, that was it.

“You think I’d let you bite me when you’re talking to me like that?” The younger boy kinda snapped, not because he was mad but because it really hurt to have Liam asking him that almost sarcastically.

Before the older boy could have replied, Niall had already gotten up, walking out of the living room like a child but honestly, there was no point for them to just sit there and not talk to each other or almost fight if they did say something. Obviously every couple argued once a while and they couldn’t always agree and get along, but this was a bit of an extraordinary situation where none of them was at fault and where it would have made a lot more sense for them to have each other to lean on. Like it had been until today.

Niall didn’t care if Liam came after him or not, but he walked rather fast as he went into the downstairs bathroom, making sure to lock the door behind himself so that he could breathe for a couple of minutes. He really didn’t wanna cry, but it’s not like he really had any control over that, he was just really stressed out and scared and now Liam was behaving like an idiot and… fuck, what were they gonna do? 

It was still early, and Niall really didn’t know what they were even gonna do all day if Liam clearly did not wanna talk or discuss things anymore. Niall almost thought about calling Louis right now at this second and just telling him everything over the phone, but that would have been pretty damn stupid and also pointless. Plus, apparently somebody was looking for Niall at uni, so it wouldn’t have been a good idea to drag his friends into this today while they were at uni as well.

Liam didn’t come checking on Niall, but that was probably because Niall only stayed in the bathroom for like 10 minutes, letting a few tears slip before deciding that he wasn’t gonna be a baby, not today. He only lazily wiped his face, knowing that it was still obvious that he had been crying, but whatever. Niall couldn’t stand them fighting or arguing and he didn’t care if Liam was stressed out or not, he needed the older boy, maybe more than ever.

“W- Have you been crying?!” The older boy already sounded a bit regretful when Niall came back into the living room, shocked almost when he saw him but Niall didn’t say anything and instead went straight over to where Liam was sitting. 

Because of how Liam was sitting down, it was slightly difficult to sit on his lap when he hadn’t been expecting it, but Niall did it anyways, wrapping his arms around the older’s neck when he noticed Liam holding onto him, probably automatically out of habit. “I love you and I don’t want us to fight, I know you’re scared and stressed out, but can we please not get angry with each other?”

“I… I’m sorry.” Liam gave in immediately, sounding surprised but at the same time really guilty and the younger boy felt relief spreading through him as Liam hugged him tighter, leaning back against the couch. “I thought you just went to the bathroom, I didn’t wanna make you cry, I just keep trying to think of what to do and I feel like I’m losing my mind and… but that’s no excuse. I’m sorry for what I said, and how I said it, I promise I won’t do it again. I love you too, please don’t cry anymore.”

“’m not crying anymore… and it’s okay. I was probably being a bit annoying with-“

“You weren’t, it was my fault, okay? I’m sorry, baby. For everything. I wish I could do something or tell you something to make you feel better and the fact that I can’t is driving me insane.” He said the last part a bit more quietly, turning his head to kiss the side of Niall’s and the younger boy held on more tightly, pressing his eyes shut to force those stupid tears back into his body. “I’m sorry about what I said about biting you, I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“It’s fine, I get it, I didn’t take it personal… and you don’t have to tell me anything to make me feel better, Li, just… don’t let me go.” It was really everything Niall wanted right now, to just cuddle with Liam and nothing else, just be held by him and have him close, know that he was right here and that even if everything was shit, they at least still had each other.

“I won’t.” Liam promised, holding Niall even tighter as he moved to get them into a more comfortable position. “If we just stay here then nothing is going to happen to us.”

“How do you know?” Niall almost only whispered, not really daring to believe Liam or to even just imagine it because who even knew what would happen? It was quite obvious that the older boy was completely clueless as well.

“I just know.” He told Niall, which really wasn’t that much of an answer, but it was everything Niall could cling to right now for a little bit of hope, so that’s what he did. 

Eventually, Liam made sure that they could both lie down, with Niall just lying on top of him, keeping his face pressed against Liam’s exposed neck, slowly breathing him in because it was quite calming to just smell his familiar scent, have him close. Of course that didn’t solve the issue at all, but at least they weren’t snapping at each other anymore, so that was at least something.

“I should probably use the time and catch up on some uni stuff… “ Niall spoke his mind out loud after a while, a little bit so he wouldn’t fall back asleep because Liam’s palm evenly rubbing circles between his shoulder blades and the lack of sleep was making it kinda hard to stay fully awake. 

“I don’t think either of us could focus on uni right now.” Liam was right, just the thought was making Niall wanna cry if he was being honest but that didn’t change the fact that he should have been doing stuff for uni anyways. 

“I’m failing all my classes.” Niall just said it even though it wasn’t really true of course, but he was also doing pretty badly so there was just an extra thing to worry about. 

“You’re not, babe, you’re going to be fine, okay? Everything will be fine, we just wait it out today and then tomorrow we’re gonna see if there are any more text messages and think about what to do.” Liam said it as if he was just trying to calm Niall down, and he probably was, so that didn’t really help all that much.

“We’re always thinking about what to do but we never come to a conclusion.” It was true after all so Niall didn’t feel too bad about saying it out loud because it’s not like Liam didn’t know, right? They both knew it and had known it ever since this had started.

Liam didn’t answer immediately, he just kept stroking Niall’s back slowly, playing with his hair once a while and the younger boy almost thought he wouldn’t ever say anything, but then he finally did. “What do you wanna do? Like, right now at this second, what do you think we should do?”

“I… “ Niall started because Liam had obviously asked him that a lot already and they had discussed it all, but somehow… “I kinda… I kinda wanna tell Louis and Harry.”

“The whole story?” The older boy sounded calm when he asked, not as if he was against it and though Niall knew that he really shouldn’t have told them, especially not today because he’d just be dragging them into this mess… he also felt like it would have been a relief to at least open up to _someone_ , just share it and get this one thing over with.

“Yeah, I mean… unless you don’t think we should d-“

“Ni, I told you already, you can tell them anything you want, you don’t need my permission. You can text them to come over after uni or something, I’m not sure if… you know, if it’d be smart for you to leave the house today, like… “ He broke off a bit awkwardly, probably because he was afraid of scaring Niall, but there really was no need for that anymore because Niall had been freaked out since that text message had arrived last night. 

“Yeah… I think I will… and I think I should also talk to my mom when she gets home. Like, tell her that I met my dad and… even though I don’t even know anymore if I really met him or who that was… “ Maybe it had been someone who Liam’s boss had hired or something, or even Liam’s boss in general, like who the fuck even knew anymore? “Sucks they all got brown hair.”

“I truly can’t imagine that that wasn’t your dad, like… your mom knows him obviously, and she got that number from him personally and he didn’t sound like he didn’t know her, right? Like, he talked about them meeting on Saturday at the store and generally… if that hadn’t been your dad, he would still be trying to get in contact with you.” True, but also, there were a lot of holes to that story.

“Yeah, but then who texted you? If it was really Zayn then how does he know about my dad? And if he knows, then your boss does as well and probably everybody else, meaning he also knows we aren’t bonded because I did already meet with my dad or whoever that was and… somehow it’s all connected and I keep feeling like we’re in some kinda crime show.” Actually, Niall had felt that way ever since Liam had told him about his _job_. “I’m just gonna talk to my mom and… text Harry and Louis to come over, I think. I mean… maybe they saw something at uni today. Also, they know what Zayn looks like, so maybe they saw him too.”

“That’d be good to know.” Liam agreed, though he didn’t sound too thrilled, but he was still busy playing with Niall’s hair so the younger boy wasn’t worried that Liam thought his ideas were shit. After all, it wasn’t like they had anything else to do, right? Except for lying on that couch trying not to fall asleep.

 

\---------------------

 

Liam still felt terrible about having been so harsh to Niall in the morning hours later. He tried to make it up to the boy by being extra cuddly and doing absolutely anything he could think of to make him feel better, distract him, and he knew that Niall wasn’t upset with him or anything, but that didn’t mean Liam had forgiven himself for it. Especially now, they needed to stick together, not start arguing or snapping at one another. 

Niall’s mother came home earlier than they had expected, but lucky for them, she didn’t question why they were both here, probably because her and Niall weren’t really on good terms right now. The younger boy did stay true to his word and told her that he had met his father, but she didn’t really sound surprised nor did she ask a lot of questions and once that conversation was over, Liam wasn’t actually sure if it had been that necessary. Or if it had made any difference at all. 

“It’s like, she doesn’t even care.” Niall sounded slightly upset once they had gone upstairs and Liam wasn’t really sure what to say because… he was right. 

“I mean, she gave you his phone number, I think she probably wanted you to meet him. And you didn’t really give her a lot of room to ask questions or say a lot.” The younger boy had very clearly been wanting to end the conversation as soon as it had started and Liam really got it, he was still upset with his mother and he had every right to be if they were being honest. “But you told her and I think that’s good enough for now. I think you still need a little bit of time before you can have a real conversation with her about everything, maybe alone.”

“I don’t wanna have it alone, you can be there too. I want you to.” He sounded rather freaked out by the idea of Liam not being there actually and the older boy wasn’t really sure how to feel about that. Niall and his mother had always gotten along better than Liam and his father and now there was the thing with Niall’s dad and if everything went wrong then Niall basically had no family left to turn to. “Also, who knows what kinda conversation that’s going to be if we find out that I never even met my father at all and that it was some stranger or your boss and-“

“Ni, stop. I’m 99% sure that that was your dad, nothing else makes sense. I know you’re still upset with your mom and that’s fine and understandable and she knows that as well, she was clearly trying not to be too curious about that meeting because it has nothing to do with her after all.” Liam tried to calm Niall, softly closing his bedroom door after they had walked into his room, Niall going straight to sprawl himself out all over Liam’s bed. 

“Still, it was a pointless conversation.” He shrugged, playing with his fingers and picking at his skin while Liam just sighed, going to lie next to the younger boy though to cuddle some more. Even after having done nothing else for about 6 hours, it still felt like it hadn’t been enough. “Louis and Harry are coming over in a bit… they just texted me before.”

“Have you already thought about how you’re going to tell them?” Liam knew that Niall was nervous about that, he slowly moved closer to the younger boy and Niall adjusted automatically when Liam moved his arm underneath the younger’s head, pulling him closer.

“No… I’m just gonna say it, I think. You’re welcome to add something at any point.” It kinda sounded like a joke but Liam knew that he meant it, that he wouldn’t have minded had Liam just done all the talking in general. “Or interrupt me if I say something you don’t want me to say.”

“There’s nothing you can’t say. I mean, there’s really no point anymore in keeping it all a secret from them, I doubt they’d run straight to the police or something and even if they did… nothing would come out of it. And my boss already knows about you and your dad and… I wouldn’t be surprised if he knew about everything by now. So it’s probably a good idea to tell them anyways.” Not that Liam was trying to freak Niall out even more, but the younger boy wasn’t stupid after all, so it’s not like it came out of nowhere. “I also think it’s good if they know as well because I can’t always keep an eye on you when we’re at uni.”

“If you tell Harry and Louis to keep an eye on me and be my personal bodyguards and escort me to the bathroom and shit then I’m gonna be so pissed, Li, just so you know.” This time, Liam had to let out a laugh for real, just because Niall already sounded so pissed off just imaging it. “Even if something happened, they couldn’t help me anyways. I can take care of myself.”

“I’m not gonna tell them to do anything at all, Ni, but I can’t stop them if they get worried as well, which they probably will because they always do.” They had also thought Liam was abusing Niall at some point, so… 

“I know… I just hope they won’t think I’m making this all up or something. Or that they will get mad because I haven’t told them for so long and I also lied a shit ton and was a shit friend in general, but… I can’t change that anymore now anyways.” Niall shrugged a bit, which Liam felt because of how close they were but he had his eyes closed, just holding the younger boy close, never wanting to part from him again. Somehow he had a feeling that he would be thinking back to this moment in a few days or maybe even tomorrow and wish to have it back. 

“I think they’re gonna understand why you did what you did and they won’t be upset if they realize what kinda situation this is.” And maybe they even had some new perspective on it or something to say that would help Liam to figure out what the fuck to do because he was really starting to become fucking desperate at this point. 

“I hope so… “ Niall mumbled somewhere into Liam’s shoulder before moving even closer, curling into the older’s side and Liam tightened his arms around him, still somehow trying to make up for the way he had been acting this morning. He still felt tense and stressed out, but he shouldn’t have ever taken it out on Niall and also, cuddling with him felt a whole lot better than them just sitting there in the living room, quiet and meters apart.

Niall had told his mother that Harry and Louis would come over later and she had seemed somewhat happy about it though their conversation had been so short and also a little bit… a little like neither of them had really wanted to address the elephant in the room or show too much emotion, Niall especially. 

Still, it was her who came to knock on Liam’s door to tell them that she had heard a car outside and that it were probably Harry and Louis and though Niall pretended afterwards that he was really annoyed about her having half burst into the room without waiting, his face was really blushed as well from his mother having seen them cuddling once again. 

“I’ll go downstairs and get them, Louis just texted me.” Niall seemed slightly unwilling when he moved to get up off the bed and Liam was a bit surprised by how eager he kissed him, briefly but with some force and Liam kinda felt like he should have said something, but then the younger boy was already gone, leaving him alone.

They hadn’t discussed what they were going to say, not at all and at this point, Liam wasn’t sure anymore whether it even mattered. It had become obvious that all this secret keeping hadn’t gotten them anywhere, it had just caused Niall unnecessary stress just so that in the end, everything had blown up in their faces anyways. And the thing was, they didn’t even know the full damage yet, Liam was still waiting for a phone call and now they couldn’t even bloody go outside anymore.

Liam tried to look less like he had just been lying around all day and he also sat up straight, but he wasn’t sure if anybody took notice of that when the other three came back. 

“… just thought we should talk.” Niall ended his sentence after opening the door, making sure to close it again carefully as soon as Harry and Louis had entered and Liam greeted them briefly. 

“Just sit anywhere you want, really.” Liam was aware that this must have been strange for them because they were in his room, but clearly Niall hadn’t thought about that either because he just came back to sit next to Liam on the bed again, so they were somehow facing the other two. Well, it really couldn’t have gotten any stranger now, could it?

“Thanks, um… so what the fuck is actually going on?” Louis just asked, which Liam kinda appreciated because he was done dancing around the topic anyways. “Are you guys, like, okay? Are you sick, or… why didn’t you come to uni today?”

“We’re not sick.” Niall clarified, clearing his throat a little and Liam could tell that he was nervous as hell, especially when he searched for his good hand without looking at him. Liam would have stepped in and done the talking for him, but he knew the younger boy would have rather done it himself. “There’s some things that…. that I need to tell you guys. And I should have told you probably ages ago, but I didn’t because I couldn’t and… I know this makes no sense.”

“Zero sense.” Louis agreed, shrugging when Harry threw a glare at him and Liam would have laughed had this situation not been so uncomfortable. Mostly because actually, all of this was about him, all of this was happening because of him. “Is this about that weird guy that we saw on the streets after we went to the cinema? Or that encounter at the bowling alley? Or that time when Liam-“

“It’s about all of that.” Niall interrupted before Louis could have listed probably ten more incidents where Niall had lied to him. “I’m just gonna say it and then you both know and… can you do me a favor and try not to interrupt me every five seconds?”

“I mean… I’ll tr-“

“Sure, Ni, take your time.” Harry interrupted his boyfriend because Louis didn’t look quite sure about that.

So Niall took a huge breath, briefly looking at Liam and the older boy tried to give him a reassuring smile, squeezing his hand and hoping that it was at least helping a tiny bit. Probably not at all though. 

“Okay, first of all… you don’t have to immediately freak out and be worried or something because… it’s all been going on for a while, so… it’s gonna be fine.” Exactly what Liam always told Niall even though they both knew it was somehow a lie because there was no bloody way they could have known. “And also… I’m sorry I lied to you guys, but I promise I won’t do it anymore and I hope you’ll understand why I’m only telling you now when… when I’m done.”

For a moment, Louis looked like he wanted to interrupt, but he didn’t, everyone just stayed quiet and waited and Niall took another breath, his hand shaking a little bit in Liam’s. And then he just blurted out with it because it was probably the only right way to do this anyways.

“Liam’s doing illegal fights, the guy we saw on the streets, Zayn, he’s in it too and so are the guys at the bowling alley. And that trip to New York was about that as well, that’s why I was so scared the whole time and nobody was supposed to know that we are dating because it’d put us in danger but now everyone’s found out because Zayn told Liam’s boss and somehow my dad is involved in all of this and-“

“Hold on, hold on… _what the fuck?!_.” To be fair, Niall had been going quite fast and Liam had thought about slowing him down, but it was obvious the younger boy had just wanted to be done with it, get it out. “You’re doing what, Liam? Illegal fights? What? Why?”

“It’s a long story.” Liam explained when Niall threw a helpless look at him, trying to keep calm for the both of them. “I got into it years ago when I started boxing and my boss won’t let me go because he needs me, otherwise I would have quit ages ago. But yeah, it’s not exactly legal and it’s dangerous for everyone who knows and for everyone involved, that’s why I kept it a secret from Niall for a while and told him he couldn’t tell you guys about it either. But now that everything is going wrong… “

“Okay, but… how is your dad involved in this? I’m not sure I can follow this story, like… are you being for real, or is this some weird ass joke?” Louis was understandably confused and because Niall was paler than a sheet and not saying anything, Liam simply decided to take over for him. After all, he was the one who all of this was about.

So Liam pulled out his phone and showed the other two the message from last night before explaining to them what had happened in New York and how they were clueless about what to do, why they were waiting for some kinda phone call from Liam’s boss and why they had decided that Niall needed to tell Harry and Louis the truth today. Somehow it seemed as if they were taking all of this a lot lighter than expected once they were done bombing Liam with a million questions.

“I told you it’s something illegal, I knew it.” Was all Louis said to Harry after they had stayed quiet for a moment, letting everything sink in.

“You said he’s dealing with drugs, Lou.” Well…

“I used to.” Liam threw in, because what the hell, that had been years ago and it was his smallest problem right now. “Either ways, any suggestions are welcome at this point.”

“You know what? I think I saw this guy at uni today… Zayn, right? Yeah, I think I saw him. I wasn’t sure if it was him, but he looked a bit rough, had a few bandages and stuff. He has black hair and tattoos?” Harry seemed unsure, but just hearing that caused relief to spread through Liam’s body and he didn’t even know why. “So you think he sent that message even though he ratted you out?”

“I’m not sure if he ratted us out… I just don’t know how else my boss would have known all the details about me and Niall. And he didn’t deny it when I yelled at him before the fight.” If he had been innocent, he would have given Liam some kinda sign, right? Or wouldn’t have tried to hurt him equally as much? 

“But if your boss is that much of a creep and an asshole, he probably pulled some strings and made sure you believe that Zayn guy went behind your back even if he maybe didn’t. I mean, you said you don’t know who else could have warned you, right? It seems kinda obvious to me that this is some foul play by your boss, all of it. Are you even sure Niall met his actual dad?” There it was again, and somehow Louis had only needed 10 minutes to come to that conclusion. 

“Who else could it have been?” Niall’s voice was a bit shaky, he had started leaning into Liam a while ago and he was almost sitting on his lap by now, the older boy making sure to keep an arm around him, softly rub his shoulder to calm him down. “I think it was him, I just… I don’t know how Liam’s boss could have found out about it.”

“Oh my god… maybe he IS your dad.” Great, now Niall was really going to freak out. “Doesn’t Liam have a picture of him?”

“I don’t. And I doubt that that’s true because if my boss was Niall’s dad then that would mean he already knew about me and everything else when he met with Niall and… it makes no sense for him to be nice to Niall and just meet up with him, he’s not gaining anything from it.” Mostly, he already knew about Niall anyways, he was already using their relationship against Liam, so it would have just been a waste of his time to meet up with Niall. And also, Liam was pretty sure he had still been in New York yesterday. 

“Well, he could have tried to find out more details about you guy’s relationship and Niall in general so he can use it against you at some point.” Louis was being very motivating today.

“No, he wouldn’t care about that, he wouldn’t need to meet with Niall to find anything out, he’s got his ways. I mean, the only thing he would have found out would be that we aren’t bonded and that I lied about that and… well, about you guys.” Liam hadn’t thought about that before, but yeah, it were really the only two things that he could imagine were of interest for his boss. 

“Great, so now we can’t go to uni anymore either? I keep seeing these guys you always used to hang out with, Liam, they’re always together in groups and… at least now I know why.” Louis didn’t sound scared or anything, he still seemed unsure about this whole thing and maybe that was a good thing. But then again, it probably also wouldn’t help them out. 

“You can go to uni, we’re going to go back as well and my boss is gonna call me at some point, I assume, and then we will see what happens. There’s nothing else we can do right now.” It was true, they also couldn’t tell anybody else and Liam couldn’t try to contact Zayn because if it had really been him who had sent that message then there had to be a reason why he had gotten a new phone for that. 

“Well, Niall could pretend not to be suspicious and talk to his dad and maybe try to get him to meet up again and all you gotta do is wait somewhere and try to get a look at him. Then at least you’d know if it’s your boss or not.” Sounded like a good idea, however… 

“I’m not gonna let Niall meet with him again, especially not after that text message. Clearly whoever sent it didn’t think it’d be a good idea that Niall meets with him at all, but he already has, so I doubt it’d be smart if he does it a second time. Especially right after.” Even if Liam stayed close by, it sounded way, WAY too risky for him, he wouldn’t allow Niall to do that even if he had wanted to. 

“So what else are you gonna do? You’re just gonna sit around here in this house and wait? Why’re you letting your boss control your whole life?” A good point, but Liam didn’t really have a chance to answer that question because Niall was a little bit faster than him.

“Because otherwise he’s gonna get Liam hurt even more, Lou. This isn’t a game, you see what he did to him already, if Liam does something that really upsets him then he’s gonna go after his family, after me, maybe even after you guys. If there was a way out of this whole situation then Liam would have found it, he’s been in this for years.” Niall sounded upset, which surprised Liam a bit because the younger boy had stayed rather quiet until now. “We have to let him control everything, there’s no other way.”

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry, I’m just a bit overwhelmed with all this information, I mean… that’s some crazy shit.” Very true. “At least now I get why you lied to us.”

“Yeah, uh… I’m still sorry about that.” Honestly, Niall didn’t sound too sorry anymore, probably because of what Louis had just said. “You guys can’t tell anybody about it though, like-“

“Seriously, who would we even tell? Nobody would even believe us.” Louis seemed confused, which was a good thing because yeah, it was kinda necessary for them to keep it a secret but Liam hadn’t been too worried about that. “Also, it’s not like we’ve got that many other friends who would be interested in that, so… “ 

“We won’t tell anybody, don’t worry about that, okay? Promise.” Harry took Niall’s worries a bit more serious, but he also didn’t look as if he had an idea how they could have solved this whole mess and though Liam also hadn’t expected that, he was still slightly disappointed.

So now they knew, but it hadn’t really changed anything at all and everything was still shit and they were still waiting for that phone call or for something else to happen and Liam wasn’t really sure how much longer he’d be able to live this way without losing his damn mind. 

 

\-------------

 

Niall couldn’t sleep though he had been trying for what had felt like 4 hours but had probably been 2 or something, it was hard to tell at this point and he also didn’t wanna check his phone because he was afraid it could have woken Liam. 

The older boy had already been asleep for ages, probably because they hadn’t slept the night before, but there was too much going on inside of Niall’s head for him to find rest. The conversation with Harry and Louis alone had been stressing him out like crazy and they had also texted until a few hours ago and at least now Niall was done with all the lying, but in the end, it hadn’t really changed anything.

Like, yeah, he felt relieved and stuff, and he had also told his mother about meeting his dad, but… things were still shit and Niall was still scared as hell and even feeling Liam’s arms around him and his breath softly hitting his bare neck as he slept wasn’t helping all that much. It’s not himself Niall was scared for after all, it was Liam.

There had been no phone call, no more messages, no nothing. It was like Liam’s boss knew that them having to be locked up in their own house was going to eventually make them do something stupid, slip up and make a mistake that he could use for his own benefit, but Niall just couldn’t imagine what he was planning. Was he even angry with Liam? After all, Liam had done what he had been told, he had told the truth and maybe his boss didn’t even know yet that he had lied about the bonding.

Not knowing any of this for certain though was making Niall feel as if he was truly going to go insane. At this point, he almost wanted Liam’s boss to call, just to get it over with, just to finally know what it was that they were even so afraid of.

At some point, Niall couldn’t hold back any longer because he had needed the bathroom since ages, so he was forced to slip out of Liam’s arms, as carefully as somehow possible, relieved when the older boy didn’t budge in his sleep but at the same time feeling cold once he wasn’t being held by him anymore.

Niall took his time in the bathroom though, checking the clock on the wall, which told him that it was only 2 in the morning, meaning he had at least 5 or 6 more hours to lie awake in bed and be tortured by his own thoughts. Was this ever going to end? What if they’d have to spend weeks like that? Niall would truly fail all his classes then, and their parents would notice and then they’d have to tell them the truth as well and fuck, Niall didn’t even wanna know what would happen then. 

When Niall tip toed back to the room, he didn’t lie down with Liam immediately, he sat on the edge of the bed for a bit, checking his phone with the brightness turned all the way down so he wouldn’t risk disturbing his boyfriend. Neither Louis nor Harry had answered his last message that he had sent hours ago, probably because they had gone to sleep in the meantime and Niall didn’t really care, but it also meant he had nothing really to distract himself with. 

Well, until the very moment he wanted to put away his phone and accidentally almost dropped Liam’s. 

Niall was about to just put it back on the nightstand with his, but as once before, he ended up accidentally reading the message displayed on the older’s lock screen.

 

_Unknown 01:34  
We need to talk. Alone._

 

There was no way Niall would have been able to tell who had sent that message without unlocking Liam’s phone and checking the number to see if it was the same person from last night, and for a second, he wanted to wake Liam, tell him what was going on, but he was sleeping soundly behind Niall and…. the younger boy didn’t have the heart to do it. Also, he didn’t want Liam to talk to anybody alone because that was clearly excluding him as well.

Niall knew it was wrong, he knew he shouldn’t have done it, but he unlocked Liam’s phone anyways, his heart bumping fast when he saw that the message was from the same number that had warned Liam last night. 

The younger boy already felt guilty, but he still couldn’t stop himself from texting back even though Liam hadn’t ever answered the last message, but this was different, this clearly required him to say something and no idea why, but Niall was maybe sleep deprived and also pretty fucking desperate. 

 

_To Unknown 02:06  
Where?_

 

He didn’t know if the person wanted to talk NOW, he didn’t even know who the fuck it was, all Niall knew was that he wouldn’t have wanted Liam to go by himself, the thought alone was giving him shivers. Liam had gone through too much, he had gotten hurt too many times and Niall couldn’t have stood sitting at home yet again, praying for him to be alright. 

 

_Unknown 02:08  
That playground behind your house. 20 minutes._

 

Niall’s heart was beating faster than maybe any time before. 

He knew it was wrong to text that stranger okay, to meet up with him, in the middle of the night, in Liam’s place, without ever having told Liam about it. They had agreed never to have secrets from one another, not anymore, never to go behind each other’s backs, but this was different. This was Niall trying to save his boyfriend from getting hurt for him again, saving himself from going the fuck insane and his only possible attempt at making some sort of difference.

If this was really Zayn then Niall needed to talk to him and he didn’t want Liam to do it in his place because he didn’t trust Zayn, and he knew Liam would have never allowed him to come along if he had known. Liam would have gone had it been him who had woken up, he would have let Niall sleep and not told him about it, and maybe that was why Niall was able to lock away his guilt and slip Liam’s phone into the pocket of his sweatpants.

Of course he felt bad as he leaned over Liam to kiss his cheek, only briefly, his lips barely grazing the older’s skin in fear of waking him, but Niall knew he had to do this.

It felt like betrayal when Niall tip toed downstairs to get on a jacket and his shoes, but he didn’t allow himself to really think about it in depth, think about what would have happened if Liam had woken up while he was gone, seen that Niall was gone as well as both their phones. It’s not like Niall didn’t plan on telling Liam about it in the morning, or to keep it a secret and he knew that the older boy would be upset, but it was Niall’s only hope that he could somehow make things better this way. 

That maybe there was a solution after all, one that would keep Liam safe and get him out of this mess. And if there was one person who had always wanted Liam out of all of this, it had been Zayn. Or at least that had been before he had possibly ratted them out, but if Niall thought about it and if Zayn had really warned them, then there was just no way that he had done it to stab Liam in the back.

Niall was a little freaked out walking to that playground in the middle of the night, using his phone as a flashlight when there were no street lights anymore. It was so weird, that Zayn or whoever it was had chosen this place, the one place where Niall and Liam went to on their walks, even before they had gotten together, the one place where Niall had kinda opened up to Liam when they had barely even known each other. To think that all this wasn’t even too far in the past when it felt like it had been years was a really weird thought.

Niall didn’t know who he was waiting for obviously, but nobody was there when he arrived because he was early, so he just sat on the stone wall, shivering a bit in the wind as he briefly let his eyes wander over the sky and the lights of the city in front of him, for a moment almost thinking about going back home, waking Liam and telling him what had happened.

But he didn’t and then it was too late. 

“Niall?!” The voice made Niall flinch, he actually almost fell off the stone wall because it had been so unexpected and he didn’t know why, but he felt somehow relieved when he saw Zayn standing there. Not because he was so happy to see him, but because he knew it could have been a lot worse. “Fuck, no, please don’t tell me Liam’s at home asleep.”

“He is.” Niall admitted, not getting off of the wall though, barely being able to see the other boy clearly because of how dark it was, but the moon was making it slightly better up here. 

“Fuck… we can’t do this, I- why did you answer his phone?” Zayn sounded angry, but most of all, he sounded freaked out as he came closer, rubbing his hands over his face and Niall saw the bandages Harry had mentioned hours ago when he had seen him at uni. “Clearly that message wasn’t for you.”

“I don’t care who it was for, I’m involved just as much. And I’m not allowing Liam to meet up with you alone, in the middle of the night.” Niall was trying hard to make his voice sound firm, to show Zayn that he wasn’t afraid, and if he was being honest…he wasn’t. What more could have happened?

“And you think he’d be thrilled to find out you went behind his back to meet up with me? Or with a complete stranger because you couldn’t have even known who it was? Are you aware that it could have been one of the other guys, someone who would have immediately called our boss?” A fair point, however, what was it to Zayn?

“It’s none of your business, Zayn. I was about 90% sure that it was you who sent the message and I wanted to talk to you, I don’t care what you wanted to talk to Liam about. Without me.” Niall added the last part because that’s what it was, right? Otherwise he wouldn’t have included the alone part in the message. 

“And what would you wanna talk about? Were you gonna yell at me for hurting your boyfriend?” He sounded somewhat amused, but also not really and at least he came closer, leaning against the stone wall but leaving quite some distance between them. “This is some fucked up stuff, Niall.”

“You ratting us out? Yeah, that was really fucked up.” Honestly, there was no point in talking around it, was there? It was 2.30 in the morning and Niall was tired and he felt guilty.

“You seriously think I went and ratted you guys out? Just to warn you again a few days later? Why would I have done that?” Zayn almost sounded surprised that Niall seemed to believe that and it did make the younger boy feel a little insecure, but he did his best to overplay it.

“I don’t know, I don’t know you that well. All I know is you hurt my boyfriend and you put him in danger after telling me you wanted him out of this mess and then you go around texting him from some throw away phone to keep me away from uni and my dad and to meet up with you in the middle of the night. So tell me what to think.” Because Niall genuinely didn’t know anymore. 

Zayn stayed quiet for a moment, he let out a laugh, but it didn’t sound as if he was amused or anything, more as if he couldn’t actually believe this situation. Well, he wasn’t the only one, but Niall still wanted to have an answer.

“What’s so funny about that?” Seriously?

“It’s just so ironic, that our boss thinks you need Liam to protect you because you’re his Omega and yet you’re here without him even knowing, as if your roles are switched or something.” Oh.

“It’s a stereotype that just because Liam’s an Alpha and I’m an Omega that I need him to protect me. He’s not a superhero and he doesn’t know everything, sometimes he needs to be protected as well.” Honestly, Niall was through with this whole Alpha Omega bullshit and the bonding and… he just wanted Liam safe and as far away from this mess as possible.

“From me?” Zayn asked, finally turning his head to look at Niall and the younger boy didn’t know why, but looking at him kinda made him even more certain that he was telling the truth. 

“No, from everybody else.” Niall took a deep breath, because he hadn’t really planned any of this, he had kinda acted out of impulse and he didn’t know if Liam would have approved of any of this, but Liam wasn’t here after all. “Help us.”

“I’m trying, Niall, but you’re kinda messing with my plan a little bit by going behind Liam’s back and pulling me into it.” Well… 

“What plan?” Maybe he didn’t even have one, maybe he was just pretending to be on their side and his plan was to get them all killed or something, but what other options did Niall have other than to believe him, at least for now?

“Actually, I think that’s something me and Liam should disc-“

“Why? Your whole fight was because of me, if me and Liam weren’t dating, none of this would have ever happened. I’m involved just as much and I’ve been staying home knowing Liam was getting hurt by various people and his boss and whoever else, and I’m done just sitting around not doing anything. Clearly you two have never come up with a plan that actually worked out or got Liam out of anything, ever, so it’s not like it’s gonna make it worse if you just talk to me instead.” Truly though, hadn’t Zayn also tried getting Liam out of having to go to New York? And then he had just made it all worse by ratting them out for whatever reason. Or having been forced to or whatever.

Zayn opened his mouth, as if he was going to argue or something, but then he seemed to change his mind and actually think about the younger’s words and Niall almost felt proud of himself even though he knew it was kinda stupid. 

“Did you or did you not tell your boss about me and Liam?” That was the first question Niall needed an answer to if they were really going to talk and since Zayn was staying quiet…

“I did.” Zayn answered without hesitation, calmly almost, but before Niall could have freaked out, he was already continuing. “It was only a matter of time before he would have found out from somebody else, the new guy had already told someone about it and our boss pulled me aside to question me, because he knows Liam’s closest to me. I was hoping I could somehow turn it around, let him think Liam’s not concentrated enough since you showed up, so he won’t have to fight that much anymore. That was before New York, I didn’t think it’d backfire that much.”

“Why didn’t you tell Liam? Warn him? You just let him go into this knowing your boss would question him, you didn’t even care what would happen to him if-“

“Niall, all I’ve been doing, for bloody months or years even, is trying to help Liam, okay? He will _never_ get out of this on his own and he knows that. I couldn’t have warned him, our boss would have found out or Liam would have messed up and said something or his reactions wouldn’t have been real or some other shit would have gone wrong, because it always does. I had to fight against him and make it look real, so I didn’t say anything when he yelled at me and I didn’t hold back, everybody was watching, what was I supposed to do? It had to look real, and it was. I had to tell our boss because if I had lied to him then he would have found out about you guys anyways and then how would I have helped Liam ever again if our boss didn’t trust either of us anymore? He knows we’re friends, so he was getting a kick out of making us fight like that, he’s that kinda sick. But that’s not the point, the point is that I had no choice and that it was only a matter of time before you guy’s relationship would have stopped being a secret. Be glad that it at least brought Liam home sooner.” Well, if he put it that way…

“So why didn’t you wanna talk to Liam before today and clear all this mess up?” Niall kinda knew the answer to that because it was somewhat obvious, but who knew?

“How? He put me in hospital for a few days and I get it, he was pissed and he wanted to get home to you. But obviously everyone thinks we’re in a huge fight, that I went behind his back and everything, which I did but not to hurt him. Do you think I got a throw away phone for fun? I couldn’t have contacted Liam sooner, I was with the other guys all the time and our boss as well, I only texted him last night because if he had let you go to uni… all hell would have broken loose now that everybody knows about you. That’s why I only wanted to meet now, I genuinely don’t know who is maybe watching me and when and I also don’t really trust my phone anymore.” That…. that didn’t sound good.

“What would have happened if I had gone to uni? And also, how do you know about my dad?” The last one was the real question actually, the one Niall was most desperate to have an answer to. Conveniently enough, it also seemed to be the one Zayn really didn’t wanna answer because he just ignored it.

“I don’t know, I just know some of the guys were joking about introducing themselves to you and all that shit, to get Liam riled up and whatnot. Also, I know Liam said you guys are bonded and clearly you are not, so you showing up to uni again in general… not a good idea.” He was slowly shaking his head, letting out a sigh and Niall kinda really hated what he was implying.

“So… you think we should bond?” Well, obviously he must have thought that.

“There’s no harm in it, is there? If anybody finds out you’re not really bonded and that Liam lied, I can’t tell you what’s going to happen, but it definitely won’t go without consequences, so I’d just do it to be on the safe side. But I’m not surprised you haven’t done it already, Liam and his romantic bullshit.” The way Zayn said it though almost sounded fond and it gave Niall a slightly better feeling about this whole meeting here, about going behind Liam’s back and demanding answers himself. Also, it kinda gave him a push to ask something else.

“So… “ He started, not quite knowing how to word this without giving away too much, just in case Zayn wasn’t actually on their side. “You said that… that I shouldn’t meet with my dad…. What would happen if I did?”

There was no reply, at least not an immediate one and Niall almost thought he would have to beg Zayn to give him one, but that wasn’t the case luckily. Even if Niall was surprised by the actual answer. “I know you already met him, I found out today, that’s why I decided I had to talk to Liam as soon as possible.”

“How the fuck do you know all of that? Who is my dad?” Niall was almost scared to get an answer to that if he was being 100% honest with himself, he was afraid about a lot of things, but finding out that maybe his father was involved in all of this somehow… it was giving him the chills. “Do you know him?”

Again, Zayn seemed conflicted about telling Niall the truth somehow, as if it was so bad that Niall couldn’t handle it or something. “Look… since we already talked about all of this… I was only going to meet with Liam today to explain the whole thing in New York and why I told our boss about you guys and to warn him and maybe discuss a plan with him, but… I wasn’t going to tell him everything else.”

“Why?” With everything else… did he mean everything concerning Niall’s father?

“Because it’d be way too dangerous for Liam to know because I doubt he could pretend he doesn’t and I don’t want him to act impulsively once he finds out. So if I’m going to tell you now then you can’t tell him and I know you’re gonna say you won’t go behind his back, but you already did by meeting up with me and taking his phone. And as you already said yourself, sometimes Liam needs protecting as well, and this is something that he shouldn’t know about, at least not now. I have a plan, but it will only work if we work together.” Together as in…

“You and me without Liam?” Niall didn’t like this at all, but he NEEDED to know the truth. 

“Kind of, yes. Maybe it’s a good thing you showed up in his place, I… maybe it’s good if you hear the truth from me and we discuss everything else.” He seemed to still be thinking about it and Niall felt his heart speeding up as he let it go through his head, feeling a little sick to his stomach though when Zayn actually turned a bit so they could look at each other. “This is for Liam, to get him out of this whole mess and keep him safe, it’s not about me or you or anybody else. He’s my best friend and I don’t want this to ruin his life, I wanna help him and I know you do, too. So can I trust you?”

Niall hesitated, staring at Zayn’s face and then his outstretched hand, needing a few moments before he actually took it, trying not to think about Liam being asleep back at home, completely clueless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys :)
> 
> i'm sorry about the cliffhanger, i know this one is even worse than the other one but i gotta admit i wrote this entire thing in one day and on a train and i felt so smart about it and excited so i just hope youre excited as well to read the next chapter! i promise im going to solve it all soon, and im gonna try to keep myself contained with cliffhangers! 
> 
> please let me know what you think and if you have any more theories, i love reading them & talking to you guys, thank you for all your support <3


	23. Chapter 23

Liam wasn’t sure what woke him, but it surely hadn’t been his alarm going off because when he slowly blinked his eyes open, he couldn’t hear anything at all except Niall’s quiet breathing next to him. At first, he just wanted to turn back around and go back to sleep, but then he became aware of the younger boy’s fingers running through his hair, slowly, as if he was trying not to wake him. But the fact that Niall was awake to begin with concerned Liam a lot more.

“Niall?” Liam’s voice felt heavy, he had to clear his throat, blinking a few more times against the dim light coming in through his window. It seemed to be so early that not even the sun was fully up. “What’re you doing?”

“Nothing.” The younger boy was whispering, but he didn’t stop playing with Liam’s hair and before Liam could have asked another question or finally fully opened his eyes, Niall suddenly leaned in even closer to him, his breath brushing over Liam’s skin before he kissed him unexpectedly, softly and briefly, but it still made Liam smile.

“Hi… “ Their faces were really close when Liam managed to finally keep his eyes open and he became aware of how tightly they were wrapped in his blanket together and how Niall’s body was pressed against his, as if he couldn’t bear to be apart from him. “Why’re you awake?”

“I don’t know… just woke up.” Niall kissed him again, which kinda surprised Liam, but also not really because he was still half asleep anyways and it felt nice after all so he returned it of course, rather slowly though because of how tired he was. “Do you wanna go back to sleep?”

“Maybe… how late is it?” Probably way too early, judging by how weird the lighting in the room was. 

“No idea, I didn’t check my phone but your alarm hasn’t gone off yet and it’s still kinda dark.” Niall was still talking quietly, still running his fingers through Liam’s hair and the older boy let his eyes fall closed again when Niall started kissing his cheek and his jaw, his nose rubbing across Liam’s skin. Like, it wasn’t abnormal for Niall to be cuddly and clingy, especially in the morning, but Liam did feel like something was up somehow. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too, Ni… is everything okay?” Liam had to ask because the fact alone that Niall was awake this early with everything going on in their lives was already alarming enough, his brain was just still working so slow that he couldn’t really process it all.

“Yeah, I just woke up for some reason… I think we should go back to sleep.” While talking though, Niall was still busy pressing his lips against Liam’s face, anywhere he could reach and honestly, Liam was just way too sleepy to have a discussion now or to keep on pushing and maybe he shouldn’t have, but he told himself that Niall was telling the truth.

They didn’t go back to sleep immediately, or at least Liam didn’t, he was slightly distracted by Niall cuddling even closer to him and keeping on kissing him and playing with his hair, but eventually, it did lull the older boy back to sleep without him even noticing. 

Somehow, it felt like their conversation had never even happened by the time Liam’s alarm did go off like it usually did during the week and he had to admit that he wasn’t really thinking about it anymore either because it was him who had to wake Niall in the end. Not like Liam really felt like it was a smart idea for them to even talk about going to uni today, but they still kinda had to, and for some reason, Niall was really for them going. 

“I’m not sure we really should-“

“But we can’t just stay at home forever, I’m gonna fail my classes and… Louis and Harry know as well now, I’ll be with Harry in every single class anyways. Also, what’s the worst thing that can happen?” Considering the fact that they were literally having this discussion in the middle of the university parking lot, it was probably too late for Liam to start having doubts, but also, the younger boy had kinda surprised him by how badly he seemed to wanna go back to uni, so Liam had agreed back at home. But now that they were here…

“A lot of things. My boss could have something planned, he could have told some of the guys to do something to you. Also, Zayn probably hates my guts now and I beat him up and I don’t know what’s going to happen, like, it makes me so nervous that we’re gonna be apart most of the time.” This was what really worried Liam, he didn’t care what anybody did to HIM, but not knowing if Niall was alright… “Whoever sent that text message sent it for a reason.”

“But the message said not to go to uni yesterday, not the whole week. It’s a public building, I mean… and if anything happens then I’m gonna call you, I won’t be alone, I’m gonna stay with Harry, I promise.” Niall was squeezing Liam’s hand so tightly while talking that it almost hurt and he was looking Liam so firmly in the eyes as if he was trying to convince him just with that. 

“Maybe I should just walk you to your classes, and wait in front of-“

“Li, that’s going too far and we both know it. Louis was kinda right yesterday, when he said we’re letting your boss control everything, I mean we kinda have to, to an extent, but… at this rate, he’s going to control our whole life. And he hasn’t even called you or anything.” True, but like…

“That’s exactly why I’m worried.” It surely didn’t mean anything good, it probably meant Liam’s boss was fucking pissed at him and that he was letting him wait on pure purpose, because he knew it was driving Liam the fuck insane. “Maybe… maybe he wrote that message after all, to see whether I would just trust a stranger and… and now that he knows I would, that I’m scared, he’s even more pissed.”

“I doubt he sent that message.” Niall said it almost as if he knew it, but there was no way he did so Liam wasn’t really comforted by his words. “I’m worried too, especially because all of the other guys are back at uni as well and I don’t want them to hurt you or anything, but do you really think they would start something at uni?”

“I don’t know, not with me, so you don’t have to be worried about that, at all. Also, it’s not like I couldn’t take them.” Sounded maybe a little arrogant and it did make Niall roll his eyes, but it was the truth anyways and Liam really didn’t want the younger boy to be worried about him. 

“Your hand-“

“-is just fine. It’s not about me, Ni, I’m gonna be okay. I couldn’t stand the thought of you getting hurt and maybe not even knowing about it, not being there to stop it and protect you, I just… I can’t.” But he would have to, because they were already here anyways and Niall was right, they couldn’t just hide forever and Liam didn’t want the younger boy to fail and he couldn’t force him to do anything Niall didn’t wanna do, it’s just… it was hard for Liam to accept that. “If any of them ever touched you… I’d kill them.”

“Liam-“

“I’m serious, I don’t care, you’re all that matters to me and they all know it, my boss knows it, even if he probably also knows that we’re not bonded by now, but… I just wanna keep you safe. And I caused all this mess, you’re in danger just because you’re dating me and I could never forgive myself if something happened and I wasn’t there and… fuck.” Now Liam had to genuinely blink back tears, just at the thought of it, because what the hell, he loved Niall more than anything in the world. “I can’t lose you.”

“You won’t, Li, never. Nothing is going to happen, okay? I promise. Look at me.” Niall demanded, so Liam forced himself to turn his head even though he really didn’t want to because he didn’t wanna let the younger boy see him almost crying because of this. “Everything will be fine.”

“You can’t know that.” Also, it was quite ironic that Niall said that because it was Liam who always said it to calm him down. Other than Liam though, the younger boy seemed really convinced by his words.

“I do. Nothing will happen and it’s going to be alright. Just trust me, okay?” Somehow it felt different when he said it, as if he really and truly meant it, as if he had some sort of a plan or whatever, but that was impossible so Liam was a bit conflicted. Then again, it’s not like they were going to drive back home now, so… 

“I trust you. But I don’t trust anybody else.” And that was the issue. “But we can do this if you wanna do this and… just please don’t get upset if I text you every five seconds.”

“You know I’d never get upset about that.” Niall cracked a smile before leaning closer and Liam met him halfway to kiss him, not fully convinced but he had also realized that there was nothing he could have done. “I’ll even let you walk me to my first class.”

“Thank you so much.” Liam joked, but he also kinda meant it even though he pretty much always walked Niall to his first class anyways. But today, he’d make sure to keep his arm extra tight around his boyfriend, in case they ran into somebody, just so they’d know right away that Liam would rip their fucking heads off if they tried anything funny.

 

\----------------------

 

“I’m still surprised you showed up today. How’re you doing?” Louis was making it way too obvious that he was constantly looking around to see if he could see Zayn or one of the other guys or maybe even Liam, but Niall had given up on asking him to stop doing that because there was no point. 

“Good.” He was, at least in the sense that Louis meant because otherwise, Niall felt like fucking shit. He felt guilty as hell for not telling Liam about last night, after talking to Zayn and getting home at like 4 in the morning, Niall had just been lying awake, thinking about it all, trying to let it sink in and be somewhat okay with knowing the truth. Be okay with keeping it a secret from Liam, for the older’s sake, and putting his trust in Zayn, who he barely even knew.

Fuck, what was Niall even doing?!

“And Liam?” Louis kept on pushing as usual, he seemed a little bit too invested in all of this, as if it was some TV show or something. 

“Terrible.” Niall said it because it was true, they were texting almost nonstop when they weren’t in a class where they couldn’t and it was killing Niall inside that he couldn’t tell Liam that he knew for sure that nothing would happen. Because Zayn had told him, among many other things. Maybe Niall shouldn’t have met with him, maybe he should have ignored the message, or woken Liam to show it to him and then… then he wouldn’t have to live with this guilt now, unable to think about anything else, constantly considering just telling the older boy.

But what if he did and then everything went to shit? What if he told Liam and then Zayn’s plan wouldn’t work and Liam would get hurt and it would be Niall’s fault? But also… what if Liam wouldn’t forgive him for this, for going behind his back and keeping all this from him, at least for a while? They had agreed not to have secrets, not to lie to each other, and Niall had gone even further than that. For Liam’s sake, but then again, who was he to decide that? 

“How is that possible?” The other boy almost sounded amused and Niall just knew that Harry was throwing a glare at him even without looking up from his phone. He was busy telling Liam where he was, and with who, and where he would go afterwards and when. 

“He’s just worried about me because of that text message and because we’re here and-“

“I know, I actually meant how are _you_ doing good?” Right. 

“I don’t know, I mean… I’ve already been here a few hours and nothing happened, and like… it’s a public building, I doubt anybody is gonna jump me or something.” Okay, that sounded like a cheap excuse, but Niall couldn’t have told Harry and Louis the truth. It would have somehow made the betrayal even worse, to trust other people with it but not Liam. Also, Louis surely wouldn’t have managed to keep his mouth shut.

“Okay, but you also clearly don’t have a mark on your neck and everybody can see that as well, so… “ A good point.

“He could have bitten me somewhere else.” Niall said it without thinking because it was true after all, but he hadn’t really considered that Louis was on the mental level of a 12 year old when it came to things like that.

“Like where?” The older boy asked, grinning when Niall threw an annoyed look at him, kinda thinking about just getting up and going to his class early, but he couldn’t because he had told Liam he’d only go there in 10 minutes and… fuck, this was getting way too out of hand.

“My left ballsack, fuck, I don’t know, okay? Just anywhere else, do you really think that’s so funny? Have you guys never seen each other naked or something?” Maybe Niall was slightly over reacting, but he was a bit on edge today. “Like, do you also laugh when Harry gets undressed or-“

“Okay, can we please keep it down and not talk about me undressing?” Harry threw in, finally stopping reading in his notes and preparing for class, something which neither Niall nor Louis had ever done in their entire lives. And probably never would. 

“I think you’d bleed to death if he bit your left b-“

“It was a joke.” Niall interrupted, refraining from rolling his eyes again though because there was no use. It was his own fault anyways, now he had really started something.

“I know, but imagine though… it would hurt so bad. Like… _so_ bad.” Louis was actually thinking about it, wasn’t he? He was actually fucking IMAGING it. 

“Can you maybe keep it together for one day? There are literally people at uni right now who maybe wanna kill me and you’re thinking about how much it would hurt if someone bit your balls?” Clearly Louis wasn’t taking any of this serious and maybe it was a good thing but also… maybe not.

“I kept it together yesterday, didn’t I?” The thing was, Louis said it as if it was an accomplishment and Niall opened his mouth to say something smart, but he simply couldn’t think of anything that would have expressed his annoyance with the other boy enough.

“He really has his ways to make you speechless, huh?” Harry threw in and Niall just shared a brief look with him, but that was enough to realize he was speaking from experience.

“I don’t know how you do it.” Niall told Harry, jokingly of course, but he was pretending to be serious just to get Louis pissed off, and it worked quite well. 

“He’d be completely lost without me. And so would you, by the way, so you better stop looking at each other like that. I was simply stating facts, and I was genuinely wondering how much it would hurt, but okay, I’m gonna keep it together now. Look, isn’t that this Zayn guy?” Wait, what?!

“Where?” Niall almost fell off the window sill they were all sitting on, panicking inside as he scanned the hallway just to see Zayn directly staring at him. Only for the split of a second of course, but it was enough to send shivers down Niall’s spine. He hadn’t seen Zayn that well last night, it had been dark and everything, but now seeing him like that… he definitely had a lot of bruises. 

“He doesn’t look like he wants to kill you. Doesn’t even look like he cares you’re there.” Luckily Louis was right, and luckily Zayn was with some girls who Niall had never seen before but assumed weren’t in on all this and were just normal friends, so that was good. Well, or maybe they were, who even knew anymore at this point, Niall had no choice but to trust Zayn anyways. “If I were him and I’d see you or Liam, I’d kill you both.”

“Excuse me? He’s the one who started all this, he brought it on himself.” Well… as far as everyone was concerned at least, but in neither version was Liam at fault.

“I know, but I’d still be angry as fuck. I mean, Liam humiliated him by beating him up like this, didn’t he? And you’re Liam’s boyfriend and you’re just sitting there a few meters away from him and he doesn’t even look like he cares or wants revenge. Kinda impressive.” Okay, that was it.

“I’m gonna go to the bathroom.” Niall decided, not wanting to start a discussion with Louis now where he would have to pretend to hate Zayn still because that would have only gotten way too messy. And also obvious. 

“Wait, are you sure you should go by yourse-“

“I don’t need a babysitter, thanks.” Not like they could have helped Niall anyways in case something had really happened. “See you in a bit, Haz.”

Niall did make sure to text Liam where he was going, even though for a moment he considered not doing it just so he wouldn’t stress him out unnecessarily much, but he was already going behind Liam’s back and he had promised he’d keep him updated about his whereabouts. Of course Liam wasn’t too happy about hearing that Niall was going to the bathroom by himself, but in all honesty… that was going slightly too far. Even if Niall hadn’t talked to Zayn last night.

He did actually end up going to the bathroom, taking a bit longer than necessary because there was still time left before his class and Niall didn’t wanna be too early. So then he also took his time washing his hands because nobody else was in here anyways, looking at himself in the dirty mirror and trying not to think about everything going on.

He felt so guilty about not having told Liam that it was almost eating him alive and whenever he was all alone, or when he was in class zoning out, it actually took every bit of self control he had not to text Liam to come and meet him right now so he could tell him. Maybe he should have, maybe keeping it a secret was dumb, maybe-

“Did you tell your friends?” When Zayn entered the bathroom, he barely even stopped to wait for the door to fall closed behind himself and Niall flinched terribly, panic filling him as he thought about Liam, or anybody else, hearing this conversation.

“What?” Niall was confused, his heart still calming down from the shock of Zayn coming in here out of nowhere. “No. I mean, yes, but not about last night. Just everything else, I already told y-“

“I know, I know. But they keep looking at me like they know something, it’s really strange. Why are you not with them anywhere?” Literally, what the hell?

“Because I had to pee, Zayn. I already asked Louis for permission and then I also asked Liam, do you want me to text you as well next time?” Seriously, what was with everybody?

“Okay, stop the attitude, I’m just looking out for you. I told you I’d keep the guys in check, but I can’t promise anything and it’d be safer for you to not wander around uni on your own.” Zayn sounded as if he was Niall’s father or something, which was quite an ironic thought actually. “You didn’t tell Liam, did you? Did he notice anything?”

“No and no. He was asleep the whole time, he only woke up when I was already back, so… “ But it hadn’t been long after, so Niall was aware of just how fucking lucky he had been. “It’s killing me not to tell him. I almost didn’t delete those messages before putting his phone back and whenever he looks at me-“

“Niall, keep it together, okay? I can promise you if your places were switched then Liam wouldn’t tell you either, he’d do anything to keep you safe. He lied to you about the fights as well.” That was true and actually the only thing that kept Niall from just blurting out with it in front of Liam. 

“In the beginning, yeah… I just… it feels wrong. Not because I don’t trust you, but… “ After everything, Niall kinda couldn’t have NOT trusted Zayn anymore, after learning the whole truth, even if he still wasn’t sure if it had fully sunken in yet. Or if Zayn’s plan was any good. “What if it all goes wrong?”

“Then we tried our best. You can’t tell Liam, you know that, not now at least. We shook hands over it.” Zayn reminded him, making Niall feel even guiltier. 

“I know that, but it doesn’t make me feel any better.” Nothing would have made Niall feel better though, so there was that. 

“It’s not for long and it keeps him safer, you’ll manage.” He had no choice, did he? “Did you talk about bonding with him?”

“No, I don’t wanna bond like that and neither does he and… he could have bitten me anywhere, right? It doesn’t matter if the guys see my neck.” Which they probably already had though Niall had made sure to wear a hoodie, to at least hide as much skin as possible. “A lot of people do it on the shoulder.”

“Yeah, but it’d still be noticeable in other ways, but… since you already told-“

“Can we not talk about him, please?” Seriously, that was the very last person Niall wanted to talk about now. “We all agree it was a mistake and a stupid move on my part, but I can’t make it undone.”

“I wasn’t even going to say anything, but I still think you should bond regardless, but do what you want. Just don’t tell Liam and we’re good.” Well, not really but okay. “And wait a few minutes before leaving the bathroom after me.”

“What if I wanna go first?” Niall couldn’t help himself, he was gonna run late and also, how was that fair anyways?

“Fine, go then.” Zayn rolled his eyes, but he allowed the younger boy to pass and Niall refrained from looking at him again because that alone was making him feel guilty.

Luckily barely any people were left in the hallways now and Niall made sure to answer Liam’s message as soon as he had gotten to his class and was back with Harry, not even wanting to imagine what Liam would have done had he known who Niall had just talked to. Considering how easy it had been for Zayn to be alone with Niall, maybe Niall understood Liam’s intensive worries a little better now. 

Plus, if he had to admit it to himself, he was also quite glad about them texting pretty much nonstop because it meant he knew the other boy was alright as well.

 

\---------------------

 

“I’m so glad this day is over.” Well, it wasn’t really over, but at least Liam’s anxiety was easing immediately as soon as he took the younger boy into his arms. He had been waiting by his car, already getting nervous about Niall being literally five minutes late and even though he had been with Harry and Louis anyways. 

“It’s like, 3.” Louis threw in, clearly not taking any of this too serious, but Liam had already heard that from Niall anyways. If they hadn’t been texting nonstop throughout the day, Liam would have literally died from nervousness and fear even though nothing at all had happened. 

Like, he had talked to a few of the guys, he had also seen Zayn, but had decided not to say anything and neither had the other boy, so… it was kind of like a confirmation for Liam, that the other boy had indeed ratted them out. Maybe it hadn’t been him who had texted Liam after all… or maybe it had been and he had felt guilty? But then why wasn’t he trying to talk to Liam? And how did he know about Niall’s dad anyways? It was all so complicated and yet somehow connected and Liam knew he should have made more effort to figure it all out but the thing was… he felt like doing that would have only made everything even worse.

“He meant he’s glad you getting on my nerves is finally over.” Niall joked, squeezing Liam before simply leaving his arm around the older’s waist and Liam made sure to keep on holding him tightly, still a bit nervous while scanning the parking lot. 

“I had real questions about bondin-“

“Shhh, not here.” Liam was maybe being paranoid at this point, but he didn’t care, he didn’t wanna have to start regretting having let Louis and Harry in on this whole thing.

“You guys have some serious issues.” Probably. 

“And you don’t?” Niall had his eyebrows pulled up when he asked, as if he was truly surprised and it seemed to have the effect he had wanted because Louis rolled his eyes, looking to his boyfriend for support but Harry seemed to actually agree with Niall.

“Maybe. Do you still wanna hang out though?” Liam had kinda expected that question if he was being honest, and he also knew that Niall would be against it, but being with two other people and not being holed up in their house the whole day long… it didn’t sound off putting at all. Especially after the last few days. 

“Depends.” Liam tried when Niall threw an annoyed look at him, but he just shrugged a bit because it would be good for Niall to spend time with his friends and not immediately go back to lying around in Liam’s bed or on the couch. 

“I’ve got the whole house to myself until Monday, so… “ Harry offered, which actually sounded like a great idea. Not only because maybe it’d distract them, but also because Liam’s boss knew where Liam lived after all, so it wasn’t exactly that safe for them to be there all the time anyways just in case, but Liam of course wasn’t going to say that. 

“Okay.” Liam agreed after a moment, knowing immediately that Niall would come at him in the car, but he didn’t care all too much right now. “Do you need a ride or…?”

“No, we’re gonna take my car. You know where I live, right? Or just follow me.” They briefly said goodbye to one another because it’d only be for a few minutes anyways and Liam knew what was coming the moment he and Niall had gotten into his car and closed the doors behind themselves.

“Why did you agree? I don’t wanna hang out with them all day, Louis has been getting on my nerves nonstop today.” Niall sounded annoyed but not as if he was angry with Liam, so that was something at least.

“What else are we gonna do? We always just lie around at home because we’re scared to go out and if I’m being completely honest… it’s kinda driving me insane. Not that I don’t enjoy lying around with you all day, but being forced to do it after so many days isn’t good for us. We always just worry.” And then Liam got upset and then he would let it out on the younger boy again and that really wasn’t fair on him. 

“That’s why I wanted us to go to uni today and you thought it was a shit idea.” A fair point. 

“I changed my mind, now that I know nothing happened. Did anybody talk to you or so?” Pretty sure Niall would have texted him, but Liam just wanted to make sure one more time. 

“Nope. The only ones who talked to me in general were Harry and Louis, so… did you talk to any of the guys? Or to Zayn?” Niall added the last part with a bit of hesitation, but Liam didn’t really think anything of it because he was busy navigating the car out of the uni parking lot right now.

“I talked to a few of the guys, but not about anything related to what happened. And no, I saw Zayn, like I told you, but he didn’t even look in my direction or anything, so I ignored him as well… maybe he didn’t send the message after all. Maybe it was someone else.” Then again… who? 

“Maybe you should talk to him.” Niall suggested out of nowhere and Liam almost crashed the car into Harry’s, whose driving truly hadn’t gotten better ever since they knew each other. “Just to like… you know, find out why he ratted us out. Or if he did, I mean… it’s all just really strange. He was your friend for so long, why would he do that out of nowhere? He had nothing to gain from it.”

“When did you come to that conclusion?” Hadn’t Niall wanted to murder Zayn a few days ago?

“Don’t know, I’ve just done some thinking in class. And all we ever do is wait for someone else to make a decision… maybe you could talk to Zayn and at least get some clarity. It was just a thought and also I know it’s getting to you because he’s your friend and maybe he didn’t even do anything, maybe-“

“Then why didn’t he try to talk to me to clear it all up?” Honestly, Niall’s theory made no sense in Liam’s head and maybe the younger boy noticed that as well because he had no answer to that question.

They sat in silence for a few moments and Liam tried to think of something to say while letting Niall’s words sink in, but it was finally the younger boy again who spoke up first by telling Liam that he was starving and that he was almost certain Harry had no food at home. So of course Liam couldn’t just let his boyfriend be hungry and they took another route than Harry in front of them to go get some food to take back to the younger’s house. 

Liam also allowed Niall to start eating in his car afterwards because why the hell not, he just wanted Niall happy and safe and he was already failing at making both of that happen at the same time, so he wanted to at least try his best from now on. 

Like expected, Harry and Louis were both happy about the food as well and Liam was happy he had bought way more than necessary just because it kept them all distracted for a good while and Niall could have his seconds and thirds and for a while, it almost felt as if things were normal again. Just them hanging out together, no weird ass conspiracies going on in the background that they simply couldn’t seem to figure out. 

“So, my mom got the wedding invitations yesterday, she was really excited about them.” Louis started when the food was almost gone and he and Niall were picking at the leftovers that apparently both Liam and Harry had silently agreed on leaving them. 

“I keep forgetting about the wedding, it feels kinda surreal that this is really happening.” Niall was staring off into space, chewing on some fries and Liam slowly moved his hand on the back of the younger’s chair until his thumb was rubbing against Niall’s neck. “Not sure if my mom still wants me to even be there.”

“Have you still not talked to her about it all?” Harry sounded concerned, and Liam felt quite the same even though he was a lot closer to everything happening of course. 

“I told her I met with my dad, but she didn’t care and then I kinda didn’t wanna talk about it anymore, so no, not really. It’s just… I’ve got nothing to say to her right now, she did lie to me all my life and now… now all this shit is happening at the same time.” Niall leaned back into Liam’s touch without looking at him so Liam took that as a good sign though he still felt helpless because there was nothing he could have done to help the younger boy with his mother. “I guess I just need some time, but she also doesn’t seem like she’s rushed about changing anything about the situation.”

“She’s probably just giving you some time, I’d be feeling guilty as hell if I were her.” She did, Liam could tell and so could Niall probably, but it also wasn’t helping him obviously. 

“Did your dad text you again?” It was Louis who asked, of course, because he had a thing for simply asking the worst possible things at the wrong time. 

“Um, no.” Niall clearly stiffened at the question and just for the split of a moment, Liam suddenly questioned whether he was telling the truth or not. But he would have told Liam, right? If his father had tried to contact him because it would have been really dangerous since they didn’t even know who he really was? “Can we talk about something normal for once?”

“Good idea, now that you’re both here, I was gonna ask you how exactly an Alpha and an Om-“

“Louis, I said something _normal_ , not something sex related. Or something about bonding or knotting or anything that falls into the same category.” Niall sounded completely freaked out while Liam had to actually hold back his laughter though he was still kinda stuck on the conversation from before. Also about the one they had had in the car. 

“So sex isn’t normal for you?” To be fair, sometimes Louis really pushed it all a bit too far, but it still kinda amused Liam. 

“Not as a conversation topic with my friends while we’re eating? Also, I already told you everything about knot- um, I mean… “ Wait, what?

“Is there something you wanna tell me?” Liam was biting the inside of his cheek so he wouldn’t laugh at Niall’s guilty face and fuck, he was just so damn cute like this. 

“No, um, I just… Louis asked a few questions, a while ago, so I told him and stuff. But it wasn’t anything, like… private or so. Just general stuff.” Niall explained, moving his hands a bit too much while talking and throwing a glare at Louis when he laughed across the table.

“Don’t worry, he refused to tell me any personal details. So all your freaky kinks are still safe.” He winked at Niall and Liam was kinda afraid that the younger boy would just combust at some point if Louis kept this up.

“Glad to hear that.” Liam joked, shrugging when Niall threw a look at him because he honestly didn’t even care what Louis knew or didn’t know. Also, they didn’t even have any freaky kinks to begin with. 

“I should have just asked Liam all along, he’s a lot less tight up than you, Niall.” Louis was saying it to get Niall upset of course and the younger boy was just really bad at not giving Louis exactly what he wanted. 

“Okay, then let’s ask Liam if he also thinks I’d bleed to death if we bonded by him biting my fucking balls.” Niall was upset now, but his face was also brightly flushed and he moved his head away when Liam touched his cheek. “Stop it, this is your fault, Li.”

“How is this my fault?” Liam laughed even though he knew the answer to that question and it was kinda true, he was the one who had agreed for them all to hang out without consulting Niall first. Then again, it was nice, it was taking their minds off, at least for a few hours. “Also what kinda question is that even?”

So Louis proceeded to explain to Liam how they had come to discuss this even though Liam already knew about it anyways because Niall had texted him at uni, but he pretended to be clueless, just for the fun of it. Liam wasn’t actually sure how annoyed Niall really was or whether he was just pretending as well, just to keep it all interesting and to keep them distracted, have some fun because they hadn’t really had any the past few days. 

Liam kinda felt like they should have left at some point, but either Harry or Louis always kinda suggested something else or started another conversation whenever Liam thought about getting up, so they simply stayed and Niall didn’t seem to mind anymore either after a few hours. It was already getting dark outside and Liam had to admit that he had forgotten about all the shit going on, which was a good thing, but at the same time, it only meant it hit him a lot harder to be reminded of it again out of nowhere. 

Niall was half sitting on his lap on the couch, playing with Liam’s hair while the older boy had been struggling to stay awake while they were all watching some movie and Liam flinched a bit when he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He had to move Niall gently to get to it and he was pretty sure Niall also hadn’t been expecting anything bad because he barely reacted. 

“Who is it?” The younger boy half whispered, probably as to not disturb the other two watching the movie, but Liam felt his throat tightening up as he looked down on the screen. “Babe?”

“Um… “ Liam started, but then he just didn’t continue because he kinda didn’t feel capable of it when he turned the screen towards Niall, immediately feeling him freezing up against him, his hand becoming limp in Liam’s hair. 

“Don’t pick up.” Was the younger’s first reaction, his voice sounding panicked and by now Harry and Louis must have noticed something going on as well but Liam couldn’t concentrate on that right now.

“I have to.” He told him without really looking at him, slowly moving to get Niall’s legs off of his lap even though he felt the younger boy weakly trying to hold onto him. “I… I’ll be right back.”

Liam walked out of the room with his heart beating so damn fast, he was afraid he’d soon have some medical emergency in a moment, but at the same time he couldn’t really think of anything else right now other than the fact that his boss was calling him and that he had kinda completely forgotten about it just to be hit with it out of nowhere. He just knew it was bad, he just bloody knew.

“Um, yeah, hi, sorry.” Liam picked up the phone probably at the last possible second, just standing in the hallway of Harry’s house, staring at all his baby pictures on the wall without actually seeing them. 

“Long time no talk.” His boss greeted him and he sounded WAY too cheerful, which was never a good sign. It was better than him sounding upset, but a neutral voice would have been preferred. 

“Kinda, yeah.” Liam tried to nervously force himself to laugh, as if he enjoyed this conversation, as if he was happy about the call. To be fair, he had had almost a full week of hearing nothing at all from his boss, almost like a vacation or something, but not really because of everything else that had been going on and because of the constant fear of this very moment. And now it was here, at the worst possible time. 

“I think we should have a little chat about everything, what do you think?” Well…

“Yeah, sure, if… if you want to.” Liam started because what else would he have said? No, thank you?

“Perfect. Well, then I suggest we meet up today and then I can also give you your new schedule for tonight and the following days.” Wait…

“My, uh… my schedule?” Liam was screwed, this was his punishment for everything, his boss needed him so he wasn’t going to hurt Liam by maybe hurting Niall or his family, but he wouldn’t just let him get away with it all either. He should have known. 

“Exactly. We’ll talk when you’re there, I’m gonna text you the address, be there as soon as you can.” And then he hung up, leaving Liam feeling sick to his stomach like never before. 

This wasn’t going to end well, for nobody except for his boss and once again Liam had no way to get out of it or to protect anybody, not himself or Niall or whoever else and he just wanted to throw up, or maybe pack his things and flee the country or something. But it was too late for that, yet again.

 

\-------------------

 

“I don’t want you to go, Li, please just-“

“Babe, I can’t not go, I’m sorry.” Niall knew that of course, but he was freaking out like crazy. Zayn had told him nothing about this, in fact, he had told Niall he shouldn’t worry for the next few days because nothing would happen, so that either meant that… that Zayn was really a traitor, or that he wasn’t as well informed as he thought he was. Fuck. 

“Let me come with you.” Niall was literally begging at this point, when Liam had told him and the other two about 10 minutes ago, he had thought he was gonna die or something. He wouldn’t be able to survive this, not even if he stayed at Harry’s house and wasn’t left alone dealing with it like usually. “Please, Li, let me come with you. I can’t do this.”

“I’m gonna come back as soon as I can, I promise. He won’t hurt me, Ni, he needs me, okay? Nothing will happen.” Liam had already said those words a billion times, but his hands still felt shivery against Niall’s face, kinda giving him away. “And you’re safe here, y-“

“I don’t care about me. I’m scared for you, he’s gonna have you fight and your hand still isn’t healed and… Li, he’s angry with you, he’s not gonna go easy on you.” Niall had to blink back tears at this point, grabbing onto Liam’s hand against his face just to have something to hold onto. Why was this happening? He should have told Liam about Zayn immediately, he should have never met up with him on his own, who knew on whose side Zayn was really on?

“He still needs me or he would have long gotten rid of me. Maybe he really just wants to talk.” There was no way in hell and they both knew that.

“He said he’d give you a schedule, for tonight AND the next few days, Li, he’s gonna have you fight tons of fights and eventually… something will happen. And I swear to you, if there is one scratch on you after tonight then you won’t talk me out of coming with you anymore, I don’t care, you can’t make me stay back.” This one time Niall would let Liam go, just one last time and only because his boss wanted to talk to him and because Niall had to call Zayn and yell at him in a minute. “This is the last time.”

“Niall-“

“I’m serious, this is the last fucking time I’m staying home waiting for you. I’m not gonna do it anymore and there’s nothing you can say to change my mind.” He tried to sound strict, as if he wasn’t about to start bawling his eyes out and lose his mind, just so Liam knew that he truly meant it. Because he did, Niall was done with this, if Zayn couldn’t give him one hell of an explanation or a solution tonight then Niall would tell Liam about everything as soon as he was back. Strangely enough, that thought was somehow making him feel calmer. 

“Okay.” Liam just gave in after a moment of staring at Niall and the younger boy had no idea if he really meant it or not because he was suddenly kissing him a second later, pretty desperately as well considering they weren’t even in their own house and Harry and Louis were probably still watching.

The other two hadn’t really said much at all, Harry had of course told Niall immediately that he could stay here and sleep at his house as well, very much to Liam’s relief but not to Niall’s. Of course it’d be better not having to go through this all alone, having someone there to talk to and stay up with him, but at the same time it wouldn’t keep Liam any safer. Especially now. 

“I love you. I love you more than anything and I promise, I swear, I’m going to come back as soon as possible. And everything will be fine in the end, I’m going to figure it out, somehow, I’ll find a solution.” Liam had promised that countless times, and Niall simply nodded because he knew there was no way Liam could have figured this out on his own. He had had hopes Zayn would have a solution for it but that hope was slowly fading as well.

“I love you too… and I’m gonna kill you if you don’t come back tonight.” Niall knew it was unfair, to say those kinda things to Liam as if it was his fault, as if it was his choice or anything, but now it was too late and somehow Niall truly meant it. He would have never broken up with Liam because of this and the older boy knew that, but Niall still wanted him to know that he had been serious before. This was truly the last time he’d wait for him at home. 

“I know.” Liam told him before kissing him again and Niall felt the pit in his stomach growing larger from it though it usually made him feel better to be close to his boyfriend. He had a really bad feeling about tonight, probably because he had gone behind Liam’s back last night and because he was now letting him leave and face his boss without telling him the truth.

But if there was just one tiny chance that Zayn would be able to figure this all out and help Liam, then Niall couldn’t screw with that plan. Staying quiet and telling Liam both could have potentially hurt more than done any good and it would have been Niall’s fault in both cases as well so he chose to stay quiet, mostly because he had no time left anyways and it would have only distracted Liam from what was going to come. 

Watching Liam walking out of that door after saying goodbye to them all was the worst thing. After a day that had somewhat gone well, where Niall had kinda been able to forget about everything, it hit extra hard that now everything was going wrong again. And the thing was, he was partly to blame for it all, so that wasn’t helping in any way. Now he had Louis and Harry to talk about this, but there was a new secret to keep from them and at this point, it felt like a never ending circle.

“Come on, Ni, just standing there won’t make anything better.” Louis was right, maybe a little insensitive, but… “Do you wanna order some food? Harry’s gonna pay.”

“What?” It could have been a good attempt at simply lifting Niall’s mood, but Harry sounded genuinely confused and also, it didn’t even make Niall’s mouth corners twitch. He had a hard time focusing on simply not starting to bawl his eyes out, so focusing on an actual conversation with the other two seemed a little too much to ask. “But yeah, I guess… Niall?”

“Okay… I’m not hungry though.” Not sure whether he would ever be able to eat again, so there was that. “We ate like… a few hours ago.”

The others didn’t seem to care about that and it was obvious they were just trying to somehow distract Niall even though they weren’t exactly doing a good job at that. Like, not like Niall could have expected that from them, maybe he should have just gone home but he also couldn’t do that anymore now because they surely wouldn’t let him leave. Mostly because everyone knew he’d just be at home sulking and crying his eyes out.

So Louis did end up ordering food with Harry’s credit card and Niall let them convince him to go back to watching this movie with them though it was almost done. Nobody really talked a lot, or at all, and it was a really weird atmosphere in the room that was making Niall even more nervous than he had already been feeling all along. Plus, knowing that he was being watched by the other two was also somehow making it even harder not to cry. 

“Is it always like this? Like, Liam getting a random call and having to leave immediately?” It was actually Harry who started talking first while the credits were rolling and they were still sitting in silence, waiting for the food to be delivered so they’d have something to do again. 

“Pretty much, yeah… I mean, we’ve kinda been waiting for it since Tuesday, but… “ But that still didn’t mean Niall was any less worried. He needed to call Zayn, he had already texted him 5 times in the last couple minutes but had received no answer so far. 

“That’s terrible.” True.

“There’s nothing we can do… but this is the last time I’m gonna be waiting behind, I’m done with this, I don’t care anymore what happens if I come along, if I’ll see his boss or… whatever. I won’t do this anymore.” Maybe Niall was saying it a little bit to convince himself, to really pull through with it next time. He had also just gone ahead and met Zayn though, so… he wasn’t just going to sit back anymore, he was truly done with that. 

“You should’ve already come along tonight if you ask me. Like, you’ve sat at home how many times waiting for him? And he surely hasn’t even always come back, has he?” Louis’ approach was always extremer than Harry’s, but Niall had to agree with him on that. He did kinda regret not coming along without waiting for Liam to give him permission, as if he needed it. 

“I don’t know, I didn’t count, but yeah, one time he didn’t come back and then Zayn came and picked me up… “ Speaking of him wasn’t a good idea, at all, it just reminded Niall that he needed to somehow find an excuse so he could go outside or into another room to call him and yell at him. “Either way it’s too late now and if they are gonna have a conversation… probably not the best time for me to be there as well.”

“Probably.” Louis agreed, but he sounded a little unsure and Niall couldn’t help thinking that if Louis were him, he would have probably handled all of this a whole lot better than him from the beginning. He should have really told him about this sooner and maybe… maybe he should have also spoke up about the Zayn thing, but if he did, there was no going back from that. If that messed everything up then Niall would have to just live with that and he didn’t think he could, especially if it put Liam into any kind of danger. “What do you think is gonna happen now?”

“Well, he’s probably gonna yell at Liam and threaten him and then he’s gonna make him fight every single day of the week until eventually he’ll be so exhausted or hurt that he can’t keep on going anymore and… and even then Liam will keep on doing what he’s told.” Because he always did, Liam always promised he’d work this out, but he literally never did anything about it and of course Niall wasn’t blaming him for that, at all, but that was why he had decided to take matters into his own hands last night. “I’m gonna get him out of there though.”

“How?” Louis sounded surprised but also very unsure and Niall saw the other two sharing a glance but he didn’t care. Telling himself that Zayn’s plan would work out was the only thing keeping him sane at this point, which was why he first of all needed to talk to Zayn to figure out what the fuck was happening right now. 

“I don’t know yet.” Niall shrugged, suddenly becoming aware of how delusional he must have sounded to his friends seeing as they had no idea about the whole Zayn thing, or about Niall’s dad and… well, everything else. Nobody did, except Niall and Zayn and the people directly involved. “What did you order again?”

So Niall made sure to switch the topic because he could sense that it was going into a dangerous direction and he didn’t know if he would have enough self control to not say anything if either of them mentioned Zayn again and asked in a bit too much detail. 

Though he literally felt like throwing up, Niall forced himself to eat some of the pizza Louis had ordered later on, and he tried his best to pretend as if he wasn’t too phased by what was going on, trying to be subtle about checking his phone every five minutes and biting his nails like a fucking madman. At least he hadn’t started crying yet, that was an accomplishment that he probably wouldn’t have had had he been home alone. 

Liam had been gone for around 3 hours when Niall noticed the other two starting to get tired. Which made sense because it was like 10 now and the week had already been long and Niall somehow couldn’t help but start to feel guilty for still being here, taking away their time alone and instead bothering them with his stupid ass problems that nobody would have been able to solve anyways. Generally, maybe telling Harry and Louis had been a huge mistake, because maybe they hadn’t even wanted to be pulled into all this and now they were a target and… not that it mattered or as if they could have taken it back though. 

Harry gave Niall some clothes to borrow so he could go to sleep as well and though Niall didn’t plan on ever putting them on, he still thanked Harry and took them of course, anything so that the other two would finally go to sleep and leave him be. It took another hour before that happened though, and Niall had had to fake yawn 50 billion times until the other two didn’t feel guilty anymore about leaving him alone and decided to go upstairs.

Harry did tell Niall that he could sleep on the couch in his room, but that would have only made this whole situation even weirder so Niall declined immediately. Nobody ever offered to drive him home and it wasn’t like it really mattered anymore because Niall had plans of his own. 

He didn’t call Zayn immediately, he waited 20 minutes or so after Harry and Louis had gone upstairs before going into the kitchen, furthest away from the stairs just to be on the safe side. Zayn had given Niall the number of his throw away phone, but he hadn’t texted Niall back during the past few hours, so Niall could only assume that he either didn’t have it with him or that he wasn’t in a place where anybody should have seen him using it. 

So Niall simply decided to call Zayn’s real phone number because he didn’t care anymore. 

“We can’t talk right now.” Was the first thing Zayn said after picking up the phone after about two seconds. “I told you not to-“

“Did you know about this? Where’s Liam and what’s going on?” Niall didn’t care if this was unsafe and who could have heard Zayn or seen him using his phone, he just needed answers. 

“I didn’t know about it, I don’t know what’s going on in his head 24/7, okay? Liam’s getting ready for a fight right now, I have to put away my phone, someone is going to come check on me any second.” He sounded stressed out, distracted, which made sense, but Niall wasn’t going to allow him to just end the call like that.

“If you don’t tell me what’s going on then I’m gonna call my dad and tell him absolutely everything I know.” A good threat, because it immediately caused Zayn to struggle for an answer and Niall felt really proud of himself.

“You can’t do that, seriously, you’d put Liam in so much danger, you-“

“Don’t start with that again, how would I even know that you really want Liam to be safe? You told me I didn’t have to worry and now Liam’s gonna get beaten up with his hand still injured and who the fuck even knows what’s going to happen in the next few days. How’s your stupid plan gonna work if you have literally no clue what’s even going on yourself? And how am I supposed to trust you if-“

And then there was a voice in the background and Niall stopped talking immediately, his heart speeding up as he heard Zayn talking to somebody else, inaudible to him though even if he tried his hardest and no idea what Niall had expected, but surely not this.

“Niall?” It was a different voice, one that Niall had never heard before and he almost ended the call right then and there out of fear but then he told himself to get it together, take a deep breath and not be a coward for once. “Are you still there?”

“Is Liam okay?” Was all Niall asked because he knew already who was on the phone, he knew already he had messed up big time and now it really didn’t matter anymore what he said. 

“I’d say so.” The man answered and his voice alone was giving Niall chills. He was staring out of Harry’s kitchen window into complete darkness, biting his fingernails as he thought about what was going to happen now. There’d be no secrets left, not between him and Zayn, not between him and Liam, it was all going to blow up into his face and he had brought it all upon himself.

“Please don’t let him get hurt.” Niall had nothing left except for begging, did he? It’s not like this man, Liam’s boss, was just somebody to him after all, it’s not like they were complete strangers, so maybe... “I’ll do anything you want.” 

Clearly, that didn’t leave a lot of impression though and the answer just sent even more chills down Niall’s spine. It had been something else, hearing it out of Zayn’s mouth, but it was something completely different to actually get confirmation. 

“Now, now, we don’t wanna get dramatic here. You think I’d enjoy seeing my own nephew’s boyfriend get hurt? We’re all practically family.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi :)
> 
> bet you all wanted to kill me at the beginning of this chapter for not writing the convo between zayn & niall, but i do hope we're all good with that ending :p this wasn't everything of course, but i thought i'd finally clear up the things concerning nialls dad and liams boss! there is more to come and i hope you're excited for it! 
> 
> i hope you enjoyed the chapter, let me know if you want!!! and since its my favorite holiday and i'll only be updating again after, have a happy halloween next week!


	24. Chapter 24

“Please don’t let him fight tonight, he’s injured.“ Niall needed to keep on trying, even though he felt as if though there was a hand around his neck choking him. To think that he was related to this man, someone who had been torturing Liam for so many years… what had the odds been? 

“Oh, I know that, I watched it happen. He’s gonna manage, he always does, I can’t just let him get away with lying, can I? There has to be some sort of punishment, Niall.” The way he said Niall’s name was sending chills down his spine, but he tried to keep it together somehow, tried not to say or do anything impulsive but it was almost impossible. “I would’ve thought you’re smarter, I gotta say I’m disappointed.”

“You don’t even know me.” Niall was scared but he also wasn’t going to just stand here and let this man talk to him like that over the phone when he had no idea what was going on with Liam at the same time, somewhere in the background. 

“Very true. So I suggest we change that, what do you think? And since Zayn made it so convenient for me and you’re probably all lonely without your Alpha… why don’t we meet up and have a little chat? I’ll have Zayn pick you up, since I know you don’t have a car.”

“I-“

“See you in a bit, nephew.” And then he was gone, noticeably handing the phone back over to Zayn and Niall felt tears welling up in his eyes, mostly from anger though as he thought about simply hanging up, pretending as if this had never happened. But if he did, his…. _uncle_ wouldn’t care, he’d just take it all out on Liam, there was no need for him to even say that.

“I’m going to fucking kill you.” Niall told Zayn and in the moment he truly meant it.

“Get in line then.” The older boy shot back, his voice cold as he asked where Niall was and Niall had no choice but to tell him, the connection breaking off as soon as he had finished. He knew he couldn’t blame Zayn for this, it was his own damn fault for calling him on his normal phone, but… sooner or later, things would have gone wrong anyways. And Niall was done waiting at home.

Niall made sure to leave a message for Harry and Louis in the living room because if he survived this night, he surely wouldn’t come back here, so he got all his stuff, deciding to wait outside for Zayn. It was dark and cold but Niall barely even noticed, actually, his mind was kinda empty, he didn’t know what to expect or what to think about and it felt as if he had waited for maybe five minutes before Zayn’s car was pulling up and Niall unwillingly got into the passenger seat.

“You’re an idiot, you know that, right?” Was the first thing Zayn said, not waiting for Niall to put his seatbelt on before driving off and Niall genuinely considered not putting it on because for what? He was going to die in a bit anyways, maybe not literally, but… “I told you not to call my damn phone.”

“You also told me nothing would happen the next few days, you told me not to worry, that you would handle it. So what happened to that? I don’t trust you.” How could he? “You probably already told him everything, didn’t you? About us meeting? That Liam has no clue still? Did you ever even intend to help Liam or were you just lying to me the entire time?”

“If it wasn’t for me you would have probably never even met Liam because he’d already be dead, so zip it, alright? I don’t give a fuck if you trust me or not, just do us all a favor and keep your damn mouth shut when we’re there, I’ll handle it.” Was he being serious?!

“You’ll handle it? Yeah, no, thank you.” Niall didn’t need Zayn to handle anything at all. “I can speak for myself.”

“We all noticed that, but can you also not get your boyfriend into even more danger?” Zayn said it because he knew it’d make Niall feel like absolute shit to rub it into his face, that he was reason that Liam was possibly getting hurt right now. “Even if you don’t care about what I said, when you’re asked a question in a bit and you feel like maybe a certain answer would be risky then don’t bloody say it, alright? Just pretend you’re smart, even if it’s hard.”

“You’re just scared I’m gonna say something that will get you in trouble, you don’t give a fuck about me or Liam or anyone but yourself. And I’m done taking advice from you, you can take that stupid plan of yours and shove it up your-“

“I’m your only chance. Whether you like it or not, and you’re gonna realize that sooner or later, but for now I strongly suggest you shut your mouth and don’t finish that sentence because in a few minutes you’re gonna wish I’d never picked up that damn phone.” Speaking about a few minutes into the future, Niall had been paying zero attention to where they were driving to, but it was also dark and it’s not like it genuinely mattered, right? He knew they always switched locations anyways.

“Why did you?” A good question, actually, if it had been this dangerous, if it had been this easy to get caught, then why the hell had Zayn even answered?!

“I knew you would’ve kept calling and also… I felt bad for you.” Yeah, right. “But don’t worry, I’m already over that.”

“Good, because I don’t need your pity.” Just so he knew, that Niall didn’t care what he thought about him, that he didn’t care about anything except getting Liam out of this somehow. He had to.

There was a moment of silence and Niall thought Zayn would just ignore him now for the rest of the drive, but when he did answer, his voice sounded a bit different and it was Niall who chose not to reply in the end. “It’s funny really, as much as you’re getting on my very last nerve, I still can’t help but think how well you and Liam actually fit together. So keep on talking like that, maybe he won’t notice you’re not bonded after all.”

The drive wasn’t long, a few minutes maybe and Niall did feel his nerves acting up when Zayn stopped the car in some pretty dark garage, but he tried not to let it show, tried to pretend like it didn’t even phase him. Was this where Liam was too? Or where they somewhere completely different? Niall didn’t see his car anywhere, but it was also real fucking dark and he had no choice but to follow Zayn.

The older boy didn’t talk, though he held the door open for Niall before they got into some elevator, neither of them speaking a word to each other as it went up, at least 4 floors or something. Had Liam been here before? Probably, he had been in this for years, but the thought still gave Niall chills. If Liam had known about Niall being here, about everything that had happened last night and this one… he would have absolutely lost it. 

They walked down a hallway and then another one and Niall tried to remember the way, tried not to freak out inside, but he wasn’t quite sure if that was working out all too well. Finally, they stopped in front of one of the many doors they had passed and Zayn turned to look at him before knocking, his voice only a whisper though he could have truly spared himself all that. “Keep it together.”

What else would Niall have done?

He knocked twice before simply opening the door and Niall had no idea what to expect, but he tried to copy Zayn’s confident posture, tried not to look as if he was afraid he might pass out any moment from being so damn scared and nervous. “We’re here.”

“I can see that, Z, thank you so much.” It was undeniable, the similarity between Liam’s boss and Niall’s father, and had there been any doubt left in Niall’s mind whether he really was his uncle, it had now vanished. Even if Zayn hadn’t already told him, Niall would have gotten suspicious seeing him for the first time. “Hello, Niall. So nice to finally meet you.”

The room was big, clearly an office, and while Zayn went off to sit on some couch to the side, Niall was just standing there like an idiot in front of a desk, staring at his uncle, who had gotten up upon their arrival, stretching his hand out for Niall to take, a smile on his face. 

Niall shook his hand, but he didn’t say a word, he just stared at him, not being able to help himself but think that he didn’t actually look unfriendly. Just like his dad, he looked normal, average, not somebody he would have run from had he met him in a dark alley somewhere.

“Please, take a seat.” There was only one other chair opposite the desk so Niall sat down, wondering whether Liam had sat in that very same chair before. Probably. “Anything to drink?”

“No, thank you.” Niall hoped his voice sounded firm and he also refrained from looking at Zayn, who was lounging on that couch as if it were his own living room or something, clearly not nervous or afraid. Or maybe he was just a really good actor. “Where’s Liam?”

“He’s busy.” The man shrugged, leaning back in his own chair, his eyes never leaving Niall’s face for just a moment. “I can’t get over you being here. I have to admit, I was more than startled when my brother told me about you a few days ago, I knew who you were immediately when he mentioned your name of course, but wow… what a coincidence, hm? You and Liam… “

“Yeah. What a coincidence.” Niall didn’t know what else to say, he was trying not to get rude though he wanted to, but he knew it wouldn’t have been smart. “Does my dad know that we’re meeting?”

“How would he know? It’s the middle of the night, but I’m sure he would be absolutely thrilled to find out. He kept going on and on about you after you two met, said he wanted to wait a little though before considering introducing us. But I just couldn’t wait, this is just too good.” Niall’s father didn’t know about the fights or the fact that his brother was running a business like this, at least according to Zayn, but Niall genuinely wasn’t sure anymore whether he believed that. “You must be so upset with your mother for lying to you for this long.”

“I’m not.” Niall lied without thinking, but he actually thought he was pulling it off quite well. He wasn’t here to talk about his parents or his personal problems, he was here for one reason only. “What do I have to do so Liam doesn’t get punished anymore? I’ll do anything.”

There was a second of silence before Niall flinched a bit when his uncle belted out a laugh and Niall shared the tiniest look with Zayn, who was shaking his head barely noticeably but immediately switched back to looking bored when Niall’s uncle spoke to him. “You weren’t kidding about what you said about him, Z.”

“You were talking about me?” Niall asked in a voice he hoped sounded innocent. Probably not at all though.

“Of course, multiple times already, I’ve known about you for a while, Niall. Although I had no idea Zayn had told you that we’re related, I just noticed that you weren’t at all startled when I mentioned it on the phone.” Oh… so another mistake Niall had made. “From what I understand, Liam has no idea about any of this?”

“No.” Zayn answered before Niall could have and the younger boy took a breath in, but he tried not to get upset. “Me and Niall had… a small argument, today at university, because of what happened in New York. But we talked it out and he told me about his dad and then… one thing led to another. And I wasn’t under the impression that you were trying to keep it from him, I knew you wanted to meet him soon anyways so I thought this would make it easier.”

“Indeed. Well, I’m just asking because I was truly wondering how all this came about, I would have expected you two to not get along, especially since you and Liam still don’t talk… am I correct?” He was only talking to Zayn now, who simply shook his head and Niall felt slightly bad now because it was obvious that Zayn hadn’t told him about last night or his throw away phone. Then again, it would have hurt him personally, so why would he have told anyone about that? “And you, Niall, you’re not upset with Zayn for coming to me about you and Liam? From my understanding you were trying to keep your relationship a secret?”

“Well, we were, but… from everyone except close friends. And I was upset with Zayn about it, yes, but as he said, we talked it all out and… I’m sure he can also talk it out with Liam. They just didn’t have the chance to yet.” Niall was a terrible liar, wasn’t he? 

“I see. I just gotta ask myself, why keep it a secret? You’re bonded, aren’t you?” The way he asked made it obvious that he was more interested in the answer than he was letting on and Niall answered without thinking because he had already expected it anyways.

“Yes.” He was only looking at his uncle when he said it, not blinking, not letting himself get distracted by Zayn moving on the couch. “We thought it’d be better to keep quiet about it for now, so that no one thinks I’m distracting Liam from his job or anything. And it’s still new, so we wanted to just enjoy it for a bit before telling people about it… it also took us quite a while to tell my mom and his dad even though we all live in the same house.” 

“Interesting.” Was all the man said, putting his fingers together and staring at Niall as if he was attempting to look straight into his soul. Maybe he was. “And why did you choose not to tell Liam that we’re related? I mean… he’s your soulmate, isn’t he? Seems like an unnecessary secret to keep if you ask me. Especially considering he works for me.”

“I… “ Niall started, having to take a rather big breath because what was this? An answer question time? “I didn’t want him to be distracted and also, I… I wasn’t sure if I believed Zayn or not. I mean… he and Liam had this… fight in New York and they still haven’t talked about everything, so obviously I wasn’t sure until… actually, until you said it on the phone.”

“Understandable. I still think it’s amazing that you and Zayn can maintain a friendship after what happened. After he went behind your back and now… now you’re even going behind Liam’s back, together.” Okay, one second…

“I was going to tell him of course, I-“

“Don’t. You’re right, we don’t want him to be distracted from anything and he’s got quite the schedule the next few days so maybe it’s a good thing you and Zayn are hitting it off so you won’t get bored by yourself.” He was enjoying this so much and maybe it was stupid as fuck, but it had taken Niall until this very second to realize that this man didn’t believe a single word he had said. They were dancing around the real issue, pretending as if all this was normal, just family stuff, as if this man wouldn’t have done anything at all in order to get more money out of Liam. 

“Where is he? I wanna see him.” Niall was done playing nice and he also didn’t care if Zayn was clearly trying to interject because what the fuck, did it even still matter anymore?

“You wanna see him? Well, since he’s your Alpha and you’re my nephew… I can’t really deny you that, can I?” He sounded delighted, actually, and Niall wasn’t sure anymore whether that had been a good idea. “Not you, Zayn.”

Zayn had been about to get up as well, but apparently he wasn’t allowed to and Niall almost panicked a little when their eyes met and he was sure as hell he could see panic in the older boy’s face. 

Niall had no idea what to expect really, he simply followed his uncle out of the room, down the hallway and into the elevator, neither of them speaking a word, for which he was actually quite glad because it truly felt like he was making this whole mess even bigger with every single answer he had given so far. It made no sense really, his uncle telling him he shouldn’t tell Liam about them being related and everything and then taking him to see him? How would Niall even explain that to him?!

As it turned out though, he didn’t actually have to find a solution for that. 

“You’ve never seen him fight, have you?” Wait, what?

Niall felt his heart speeding up as they walked out of the elevator and suddenly the whole office building feeling was gone because they were just in an almost empty room, with a huge glass front. “Umm… no.”

“Well, then don’t be shy.” Niall’s uncle didn’t walk up to the glass, but he gestured for Niall to go do it and the boy wasn’t sure anymore if he wanted to, even though he had no idea what to expect. Surely not what he saw though.

It only took a second for Niall to understand what this room was, it was where Liam’s boss watched fights from, probably without being seen himself. There were no noises coming in through the glass front, none, and they were in an elevated room looking down on what was going on. Actually, it was like one of Niall’s nightmares, truly, he had told Liam he wanted to come along countless times, even a few hours ago, but he truly hadn’t known what he had asked for back then. Now he did.

There were a lot more guys than Niall would have thought, and some other people looking almost like business men or something just watching the two guys fight in the middle of the room. Liam and some stranger, neither of them wearing a shirt so Niall could clearly see the blood smeared across his boyfriend’s skin, the bandage his hand had been wrapped in probably having gotten lost along the way, his chest heaving as they circled each other and Niall wanted to actually die.

“They can’t see you from down there, the glass is tainted from the other side.” His uncle told him from the corner of the room, as if Niall truly cared about that because just in that moment, Liam and this other guy started going at it again and Niall had to turn his head away, feeling tears welling up in his eyes. “I thought you wanted to see him?”

“Why are you doing this?” Niall didn’t know what else to say, he didn’t wanna watch Liam getting hurt, just standing there watching without the older boy knowing, not being able to do anything at all. 

“You were asking for it.” Which was true, but… fuck, how was Niall ever going to get out of this mess again? How would they ever solve this? “You know, for acting all tough and thinking you can lie to me, you surely got a weak stomach.”

“He’s my boyfriend and you’re making me watch him getting beaten up and bleeding all over the floor.” Niall said it a lot louder than he had planned, his throat feeling tight as he turned his head to look at his uncle instead, flinching when he was standing a lot closer than expected. “What do you want from us? From me? Why are you doing this to Liam? He does everything you want, he’s fighting all these fights for you, making money for you, he went to New York for you, he’s letting himself get beaten up, he never asks questions, he-“

“He lied and went behind my back, and that’s his punishment. I don’t run a kindergarten here, Niall, and Liam knew that his actions would have consequences. And so do yours. And Zayn’s. You think I don’t know that you two have been plotting in secret? You think I don’t know why Liam didn’t tell me about you? Because he was scared of this right here?” So all this had really just been act then? Him asking Niall all these questions before? “Liam is one of my best guys, if not the best, he knows that and he knows I’m not just going to let him go. And now that you are in the picture… I can get Liam to do anything I want. Anything at all, all it takes is a little threat, somebody waiting for you after work or-“

“I’m your nephew.” Niall was crying now, he didn’t know what else to do and he didn’t know how to hold back anymore. He just wanted to tell Liam everything, and Harry and Louis and he wanted to go home and just lie in Liam’s arms and cry about it because he had never felt this hopeless before. “If my dad finds out-“

“My brother isn’t going to find out, not from you and not from anybody else. It’s inconvenient he moved back here, but he’s not exactly a top lawyer or the smartest.” He was stepping closer while talking, his eyes on the glass front before he suddenly turned his head to look at Niall, his voice becoming even colder all of a sudden. “I’m going to tell you exactly how we will handle this whole situation and if you don’t do what I say, it’s Liam who is going to feel it. Are we clear?”

There was nothing left for Niall to do other than to nod his head, more tears spilling over that he didn’t bother to wipe anymore. They had screwed up, HE had screwed up most of all, and now it was like he was in his own personal hell.

“You won’t tell Liam a word about this, not about tonight or about us being related, none of it. I don’t care what you and Zayn have been getting up to, what kinda kids’ play you have been playing thinking you can outsmart me or whatever, you can’t. Zayn is going to take his punishment and Liam will do what I say like he always does, and you are going to keep your mouth shut, stay away from Zayn and out of the picture as much as somehow possible. If I find out you are trying any funny business with your father or with Zayn or anybody else, then I’m going to let you watch Liam getting so beaten up you won’t recognize him anymore after. Or maybe I’m gonna have it the other way around, however I fancy it that day. Understood?”

“Y-Yes… “ Niall half choked out, his skin burning from all the tears and the food he had eaten earlier suddenly wanting to make a return.

“Brilliant. And since you made me come here with you, you better fucking watch the finale.” It was the first time he was swearing and Niall winced when he felt the cold fingers against the back of his neck, forcing him to turn his head and look down through the window again, just in time to see Liam getting knocked to the ground. “Ah, I love family reunions.”

Now that he was being forced to look, Niall couldn’t look away anymore or even close his eyes, and yes, of course Liam got back up and the fight continued, but he still came close to throwing up every few seconds. Not because of the blood or anything, but because he was so terrified of everything that could have happened to Liam. 

“Is he done?” Niall’s voice was still shaking when he asked afterwards, his uncle having let go of him a while ago but Niall had barely even noticed anymore. He was angry, yes, but the fear was overweighing everything else right now even if Liam seemed to have won the fight. “I wanna go to him, I-“

“No, you’re not going anywhere except back home. I don’t want Liam distracted.” So that answered the question of whether he was done or not. Niall should have known to be honest, it wasn’t THAT late. 

“I-I… I can’t go back home. Me and Liam were staying at a friend’s house and he’s already asleep, I don’t have a key and if I’m not there anymore then Liam will start asking questions once he’s done because he’d be coming back to that house and I don’t know what to tell him then.” The only reason why Niall brought this out in a somewhat convincing way was because it was the truth, 100%, and maybe his uncle noticed that because he didn’t answer immediately. Not that Niall was looking at him, he was staring at Liam the whole time, relieved when he saw him getting stitched up by what appeared to be a doctor or something. At least for now, he seemed alright, beaten up, but nothing Niall hadn’t seen before. “It’d be easier to explain if he saw me here.”

“How?” Did that mean he was considering it?

“I already told him tonight is the last night I’d stay back home and wait for him, I could just say I called up Zayn and that he brought me here because I was begging him.” To be fair, Liam would have actually believed that, even though the thing with Zayn was… not the best idea. Still better than Niall having to wait at home and pretend as if he hadn’t just seen all of that though. “I can’t just pretend I didn’t see all of that.”

“But you can plot with Zayn behind his back?” A fair point.

“I would have told him.” Niall lied even though he WOULD have, just not anytime soon probably. And now he really couldn’t. “Please, let me go see him and drive him home, he shouldn’t be driving like that anyways and… I could just pretend I never met you. That Zayn had me waiting outside or something, I won’t say a word about anything that happened tonight, I swear.”

Now Niall did turn his head to look at his uncle, as if it would have changed his mind had he not already been thinking about it. Niall was absolutely desperate though, he knew there was no bloody way he’d be able to pretend as if he had never been here, the guilt had already been eating at him all day because of his meeting with Zayn, but now… Niall wouldn’t have been able to keep his mouth shut, and maybe his uncle was sensing that as well. 

“Fine. I’ll talk to Zayn and we’ll figure out how we’re gonna do this. But, Niall, I’m warning you, if I find out that you told Liam anything at all then I can promise you you don’t wanna find out what’s going to happen. You can tell him that we met, but nothing more. Understood?” Niall made sure to nod eagerly afterwards, feeling relief spreading through him though he wasn’t sure if he should have already been relieved just yet. “And don’t forget about our other deals.”

“I won’t.” How could he have, truly? Niall was absolutely terrified of this man, or more what he could have done to Liam, and to think that they were related was something Niall would have rather pushed into the back of his mind because he wasn’t quite sure how to handle it.

He needed Liam, he needed to tell him everything, talk it out like they always did, no secrets between them, but Niall knew that he needed to keep his mouth shut, even if it was killing him inside. Liam’s health mattered a lot more than that though, and maybe… maybe Zayn still had a plan after all. 

 

\--------------------

 

“You really didn’t think any of this through, did you?” Zayn was clearly annoyed that Niall had gotten his will, but the younger boy couldn’t have given two shits if he was being honest with himself. He was just itching to finally see Liam and go home, he didn’t care about the rest. “I can’t believe he actually gave in.”

“I told him I didn’t know how to keep my mouth shut otherwise and that’s kinda the truth.” Not only kinda.

“Liam’s gonna be pissed when he sees us together, I hope you have a good explanation prepared.” They were waiting next to Liam’s car, because that’s how Niall’s uncle had wanted it to happen. He and Niall had gone back to the office after a while where Zayn had still been sitting around, clearly nervous and getting even more nervous once he was being told what would happen now. 

“There’s an explanation, but I didn’t prepare it.” More like, Niall had gotten a whole entire list of things he couldn’t tell Liam and another list of punishments Liam would be put through if he did say something, so… that was a pretty damn good motivation to just keep quiet. “Maybe you should prepare something as well in case Liam’s _really_ pissed at you.”

“I can promise you he will be.” Zayn let out a humorless laugh but Niall ignored him because he honestly didn’t care anymore. He just wanted Liam to come and for all of this to be over. 

His wish wasn’t granted for a few more minutes in which Zayn kept asking him what else his uncle had said to him when they had been alone, and whether Niall now finally understood how important it was for them to be careful and secretive. Apparently that meant that Zayn still had a plan and still thought they were a team or whatever, so Niall didn’t tell him that that wasn’t the case, but he also didn’t really agree. Mostly because… who knew what was going to happen, right? 

When Liam did show up, Niall wasn’t really prepared for it, like, at all, but he still pushed away from the older’s car which he had been leaning against, surprising him halfway because the older boy was understandably confused.

“I’m so glad you’re okay.” Niall was being as careful as possible as he wrapped his arms around his boyfriend, feeling Liam’s only weakly wrapping around him in return.

“Niall, I… what is even going on here?!” Liam only held onto him for a moment before pulling away, looking absolutely terrible, bloody and beaten up and Niall’s heart was aching just looking at him, momentarily even forgetting about how he would have to explain this to his boyfriend in a moment. 

“It’s kind of a long story… “ Niall started, throwing a look back at Zayn, but only for a second or so because he wanted to keep looking at Liam instead, even if it hurt like hell to see him this way and then confuse him like that on top of it all. As if his night hadn’t been rough enough. “I was going crazy at home and I called Zayn and he said that… that he could come pick me up and I could-“

“Wait, wait… you _watched?!_ ” Okay, well, now Niall had just made it all worse, hadn’t he? “Did you- you met him, didn’t you? My boss? Niall, why- fuck. We’re screwed.”

“You’re not, it makes no difference, Liam, he already knew Niall anyways. And if it’s of any help… I’m pretty sure he didn’t actually find out that you’re not bonded.” But nobody really knew, Niall and Zayn had discussed this before, but they had come to no conclusion, because Niall’s uncle hadn’t really said anything regarding that. Though he had told Niall that he knew he had been lying and plotting with Zayn, but then he could have also mentioned the bonding thing, right? 

“That’s all good and well, but… why the fuck have you even brought Niall here? And Niall-“

“Li, I promise I can explain it all at home, but… we should get out of here, you’re bleeding and you look terrible… sorry.” Niall apologized when the older boy flinched after Niall had gently touched a wound on his cheek, already feeling guilty for ever having reached out for it. “Maybe we should stop at the h-“

“Not tonight… I just wanna get home.” Liam told him, but he was looking at Niall so intensely as if he could somehow read the truth in his eyes or something. “Did you and Zayn talk?”

“We did and no worries, I’m already on my way as well. Just wanted to make sure nobody else sees Niall down here.” Zayn said it as if it had been his idea, ignoring Niall’s glare as he walked past them. “Regarding what happened in New York… Niall can tell you why it happened.”

“Not sure if I really wanna know.” Liam shot back, clearly upset and Niall felt his stomach twisting at the thought of having to have this dreaded talk at home. A talk consisting of mostly lies probably because even though he had played with the thought multiple times already in the past few minutes and the whole day actually… Niall had come to the conclusion that telling Liam would have done more damage than good. And he couldn’t have lived with that guilt.

“Well, whatever you decide… have a good night. Take care.” He clearly said the last thing in order to let Niall know once more to keep his mouth shut but the younger boy didn’t respond and neither did Liam so that’s how they parted.

Actually, Liam also didn’t say anything after Zayn had left though he did allow Niall to kiss him, very briefly and softly, and he also handed him the car keys without saying a word or Niall having to ask for them. 

Once they were in the car though and Niall had somehow navigated them out of the garage and onto the street, had given Liam time to process all this at least for a few moments, the inevitable had had to happen of course. “What the hell is going on, Niall? Why did you do that?”

“Do what?” Considering everything that had happened, Niall didn’t feel too stupid for asking that question, although… 

“You know what.” Clearly Liam wasn’t happy right now, and upset with Niall at least to some degree and Niall had expected that of course but it still wasn’t a nice feeling, at all. Even though he was the only one to blame for it and he had known it all along. 

“Look, I… I freaked out. When you were gone and then Harry and Louis went to bed and… and I called Zayn because I didn’t know who else to call and then… he said he could come and we could talk and that he could take me back there with him, if I really wanted to, but that I would probably have to meet your boss and… and at least now I know he’s not my dad.” Niall tried, as if that information was going to make anything undone now. He had broken Liam’s trust and the older boy didn’t even know how many times. 

“Great, that’s just… fuck, Niall.” Liam was clearly frustrated now, Niall didn’t even dare to look over to his boyfriend because the wave of guilt overcoming him was almost too much to bear. “Do you even know what you did by meeting him? And watching the fight? Who else saw you?”

“Nobody, I… they all know me already anyways. And your boss knows everything about me as well, it doesn’t even make a difference, Li. Nothing changed.” Except everything, but not as far as Liam was allowed to know and… fuck, how would Niall keep this a secret from him? “If anything, things are better now, Zayn really did send that text message and-“

“So what was all this about your dad?” Right, Niall should have thought this through in more detail probably, but he was at a point where he was really getting confused with who was allowed to know what and all the different made up stories he had been telling to Liam as well as his uncles as well as Harry and Louis and his mother and… this was just one huge freaking mess. 

“He, uh, he didn’t really specify, he just said that, like… he overheard something your boss said. About my dad.” That was probably the way it had happened to be honest, so it wasn’t a complete lie although it sure as hell sounded that way. “He also said he only told your boss about us because he already knew all along and if he had lied there would have been no point and that your fight in New York had to look real and that’s why he didn’t say anything to you when you were yelling at him. Li, I really don’t think Zayn is a traitor, he warned us and-“

“He took you to that place to watch me fight without batting an eye and on top of that introduced you to my boss, even though he bloody knows that that was the very last thing I would have wanted. To me it sounds like he’s either a fucking idiot or he simply told you exactly what you wanted to hear when in reality he’s doing what my boss wants him to. There’s no way he didn’t figure out we’re not bonded.” Well, fuck.

“We only met briefly and he asked me if we are bonded and I said yes and it didn’t look like he noticed that I was lying.” To be fair, there was no way Niall could have read his uncle’s thoughts, especially because he was so bloody good at what he was doing. “And Zayn-“

“As far as I’m concerned, Zayn is still a traitor and I don’t trust him, at all. He never tried to talk to me, not even today, he literally brought you there to meet my boss even though he knows how dangerous it was, _especially_ because we’re not bonded. Even if he was trying to help and didn’t rat us out on purpose… I don’t think I can forgive him for tonight.” Maybe this was why Niall had been allowed to wait for Liam, because his uncle had known it’d end this way.

“I begged him to take me.” Niall tried one more time because they were almost home and he was so tired of fighting with Liam over this, especially after everything that had happened tonight. 

“Why are you defending him?” A good question. One that Niall couldn’t answer because he didn’t even know the answer himself. 

“I’m not.” But he was somehow and they both knew it, so Niall was aware of how shaky his voice sounded when he said it, grabbing more tightly onto the steering wheel as he pulled into their street, feeling his stomach sink when Liam didn’t reply. “Are you sure you don’t wanna go to the hospital?”

“I’ve had worse.” Liam told him, or snapped at him more like and Niall flinched but he tried to keep it together as he stopped the car. 

So they didn’t talk for a bit because it was late and everyone was asleep at home, but it was almost killing Niall inside. He knew he had messed up big time by calling Zayn and no matter if he looked at it from the version of the story that he had told Liam or the truth, it had been a big fucking mistake that he couldn’t make undone. On the other hand… what would have sitting at Harry’s house changed? Nothing.

“Do you need help in the shower?” Niall had already showered at Harry’s house before, but now he was just desperate to make some kinda conversation with Liam because the mood between them was so strange. Which was his own fault of course, but still. 

“I’m fine.” Liam answered without looking at the younger boy and he also went to the bathroom without turning around, leaving Niall standing in the hallway looking like an idiot.

He wanted to cry but he held back, instead he went and got changed as slowly as possible, looking for some bandaids and stuff to disinfect Liam’s bruises because from what he had seen, that doctor hadn’t fixed him up with a lot of care. Watching Liam fight was something Niall had never really wanted to do, he had only ever wanted to be there, just in case something happened, but now that he had been kinda forced to watch, he wasn’t sure how he’d ever forget about it again. 

Niall did wait on Liam’s bed though he wasn’t sure if the older boy wanted to have him there right now, but he didn’t say anything when he came back from the bathroom, towel only loosely wrapped around his waist, putting his whole upper body on full display and Niall wasn’t sure if he had wanted to see all of the damage that had been done. But now he had.

“Let me redo them, everything got wet.” It was hard pretending everything was normal right now, but Niall was truly trying his best after Liam had finished getting dressed. Or at least had put on some pants because he opted out of wearing a shirt which Niall could only assume was due to the fact that it was probably uncomfortable for him right now. And that only made things even worse.

“I can d-“

“But I always do it.” Niall interrupted and for a moment it looked like Liam wanted to argue with him about it but then he just sat on the bed next to Niall, without looking at him though. 

For a few moments, there was just silence again except Niall cutting bandaids into the right shape and stuff, to a point where it got uncomfortable, something which never really happened between them. The fact that it was because of something Niall had done, something which his uncle would have probably appreciated, was truly driving him insane.

“You know, um… what you said before… “ The younger boy started, biting his lip as he put some healing cream on one of Liam’s wounds, as gently as somehow possible. “When you said that you don’t think you can forgive Zayn for tonight, uh… did you mean… did you mean you also can’t forgive me for tonight?”

Liam didn’t answer immediately and Niall didn’t dare looking at him, but he felt relief spreading through him when the older’s voice was soft rather than cold or harsh. “I don’t have anything to forgive you for, Ni.”

“I’m still sorry though, I shouldn’t have-“

“You don’t have to apologize… just because I didn’t want this to happen doesn’t mean you need to say sorry. Or that you need my permission to do things, I know why you did it and I would have probably done the same if I were you, I just… I never wanted you having to watch me fight and get hurt. Or hurting somebody else. And I sure as hell never wanted you to meet my boss in person… especially not because I know it was what he wanted. Which is also why I don’t trust Zayn anymore, this whole thing is sketchy as hell and we still don’t know what it has to do with your dad and I’m just scared.” Liam admitted, although kinda quietly and Niall finally looked at him, opening his mouth before closing it again, his hand slowly dropping because he was done tending to Liam’s wounds.

“… Liam?” Niall asked after a moment, the inner conflict he was experiencing almost straight up choking him.

“Yes?” Liam had immediately gotten suspicious, Niall could tell simply by the way he was looking at him, suddenly reading out to intertwine their fingers and his touch felt so good that Niall wanted to cry. “What’s wrong?”

“I… there’s something… something I need to tell you.” The younger boy started, and just for the tiniest moment, he actually planned on doing it, on telling Liam absolutely everything. But then the moment passed and he came back to his sense as he squeezed his boyfriend’s hand. “But I can’t. And I shouldn’t.”

“Babe, you can tell me anything.” That only made it worse.

“I know, Li, and I wanna tell you, but if I do… if I tell you then you know it and I can’t take it back afterwards and… and if you can’t pretend you don’t know it then he’s gonna punish you even more.” Niall had already said too much, he knew it but he just couldn’t hold back when Liam was looking at him like that.

“My boss? Is it about him? Something he said to you?” Obviously Liam wanted to know now, but Niall couldn’t and wouldn’t tell him. Not tonight. 

“No, I-I… kinda, maybe, but… no. I… I did something. Something I shouldn’t have but I had to do it and… and that’s why I called Zayn tonight and then one thing led to another and… it’s all my fault. But I had to do it and I found out some stuff and I can’t tell you and it’s killing me.” There, at least that was making Niall feel a little better even though not completely. “But if I tell you he’s gonna notice, I just know it and… and I did it to help you but if I tell you I’m just putting you in even more danger. So I can’t, I’m sorry I said something at all, I didn’t wanna scare you or make you curious, I just… I can’t stand this anymore.”

“Ni, hey, it’s alright, okay? Whatever it is, try and calm down, yeah? Breathe.” Niall’s breath was truly going a bit too fast and his heart was hammering in his chest and even Liam’s free hand against his cheek wasn’t helping too much right now. “You don’t have to tell me anything about this, okay? Just tell me one thing.”

“O-Okay?” Could Niall agree to that? When he didn’t even know what Liam meant?

“You’re not putting yourself in even more danger to protect me, right?” Well…

“I… no?” Niall tried, because he honestly wasn’t even sure whether he was or not. 

“Ni-“

“I’m not. Maybe I did but… but that’s already over and… and even if I told you that thing then it’d only make it worse. For both of us, there’s nothing you could do.” There was nothing anybody could have done, except maybe… maybe Niall’s father. But Niall still needed time to think this through and he first of all needed to figure out whether Zayn still had a plan or not. 

“That…. that doesn’t sound very comforting, at all.” Liam told him with a worried face, his thumb brushing slowly over the younger’s cheek and Niall took a deep breath, trying to calm down and fully forget about the moment where he had almost told Liam the truth. 

“I know. I’m sorry, I… for even saying anything at all just now. I just I want you to know that… I would never keep a secret from you if I didn’t have to. And I love you and I just want you to be safe and not get hurt and… and if I told you then we’d have to be even more scared. I promise I’m going to tell you, but I can’t do it now.” Probably also not in the near future.

“It’s okay, Ni. I trust you. I mean… obviously I wish you’d tell me, but I know what it’s like. I didn’t tell you about the fighting for a while either, to protect you.” Liam sounded really understanding, which was a relief but Niall also hadn’t really expected anything else if he was being honest. He knew Liam after all, better than anybody else in the world. “Just promise me that you’ll come talk to me if it all gets too much or if you think you’re putting yourself in any danger.”

“I will… I promise.” No idea if Niall could have really promised that, but he had just done it anyways so there was no going back. “Umm… can I sleep here tonight?”

“Why would you sleep somewhere else?” Liam seemed confused, which was a good thing, but Niall still felt himself blushing. 

“I don’t know, I wasn’t sure if you wanted me in your bed after-“

“Baby, when have I ever not wanted you in my bed?” That was true, however…

“Never, but tonight was… different.” And Niall had lied countless times about it so he really appreciated Liam not asking any questions or trying to get details on what exactly the younger boy was keeping from him and who it involved. 

Still, he was kind of surprised when Liam suddenly leaned even closer, looking the younger boy so deep into his eyes that Niall almost felt himself getting nervous as if it was the very first time. “Niall, I love you, I’m your boyfriend, and you don’t need my permission to do things or call someone or whatever else. I always want you to sleep next to me even if one day in the future we have a real fight and are pissed off with each other, I’d still want you there and you never have to doubt that or ask me that ever again, okay? And I’m sorry if you thought you had to just now.”

“Okay… I love you too, Li… thank you.” Niall half whispered, waiting for the older boy to finally close the gap between them, but he waited for another moment.

“For what?” Liam asked quietly, his hand moving down the side of Niall’s neck now, sending shivers all over his body. 

“For everything… just for being you. For always being so understanding…. For loving me.” He was literally perfect and he didn’t even know it. 

“That’s nothing you have to thank me for, love.” The older boy told him, but his face had gotten all soft and fond and when he finally leaned in to kiss Niall, the younger boy felt as if he was on cloud nine, as if it was their very first kiss or something. Or maybe even better than that. 

They didn’t end up doing anything of course, one because it was late and two because Liam was injured and probably felt really sore. But Niall was still feeling a whole lot better somehow and not as guilty anymore. He still wanted to tell Liam of course, but at least now the older boy knew that there was something Niall was keeping from him and he wasn’t upset about it, so that was good. 

“Did you watch the whole thing?” Liam asked quietly into the darkness all of a sudden when they were already lying underneath the blanket with the lights turned off, both on their sides so they were facing each other even though it was too dark to see all that much anyways. “When I was fighting, I mean.” 

“Not all of it… but a lot.” Niall still got shivers about it, he wasn’t sure if he’d ever get the pictures out of his head again or whether they’d just be replaced with even worse ones if he came along to watch again. “It was hard to do… I, um… before you left and I said it was the last time I’d wait at home and all those times I asked you to bring me with you… I don’t think I really realized what I was asking for. But I did feel better just being there, because I know it would have happened with or without me being present and at least this way I’d know immediately if anything terrible happened to you and I could be there with you… I doubt it’d be Zayn’s first thought to call me if you were seriously injured or so… I mean, he did it once, but… if something even worse happened… “

“I think he would call you now… and if I’m being honest… at this point, I think my boss would even make him call you. Or call you himself. But… since you were already here tonight and met him and everything, you can of course come along from now on and…. you don’t have to watch, you can wait in the car or somewhere else.” Niall knew it took a lot in Liam to say this all casually, but it meant a great deal to him because he knew that Liam’s schedule for the next few days wasn’t exactly a light one and he wanted to be as supportive as he could be. “Only if you want to of course.”

“I want to… I don’t want you having to go through this alone and I wanna drive you as well because I doubt all this will heal until tomorrow morning… “ This was what troubled Niall the most right now, the fact that today had only been day one. 

“I’m gonna be fine, baby. I promise, it will all be okay, he wouldn’t want me seriously injured, that wouldn’t help anybody out and he’d lose money on top of that… how was he? When you met him, I mean?... or do you not wanna talk about it?” Liam added the last part after a moment of hesitation and Niall took a deep breath, trying to give himself a small push. 

“He was different than I had expected… not in a good or bad way, just… different. I think he was happy to meet me, which makes sense, but… I don’t know. I truly don’t think he noticed we’re not bonded… I, um… I asked him not to punish you, but he said he had to. And he asked me why we kept our relationship a secret, so I told him we just wanted to keep it to us for a bit, because it hasn’t been that long, I don’t know if he believed it.” He hadn’t, he had already told Niall that after all.

“I doubt it, but it doesn’t really matter anymore now… he knows why I did it or he wouldn’t be punishing me for it. I’m just happy nothing bad came out of you meeting him and that he just let you go again.” Well, about that…

“Yeah… “ Niall refrained from clearing his throat as to not make it suspicious, relieved that it was so dark that Liam couldn’t have seen his face anyways. “Do you wanna go to sleep?”

“I’ll try.” Liam must have been exhausted, but he wasn’t letting it show at all and Niall was determined on waiting until the older boy had slept in before going to sleep himself. Just so he could make sure Liam actually got some rest after all this. 

Niall leaned in closer to kiss Liam goodnight, for the tenth time already in the last half an hour, but it never felt like it was enough somehow. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Nialler… “ Liam kissed him again, lingering a bit longer this time and Niall held him close, gently threading his fingers through the older’s hair. “Hey… shouldn’t you be going into heat any day?”

“Umm… maybe, I forgot to count… I’m not feeling anything now though.” Maybe it was the stress as well, plus Niall’s heat was never really on time anyways. 

“Hm.” Was all Liam made before kissing Niall some more and the younger boy quickly forgot about it again and also the troubles it would bring if he really did go into heat this weekend. Then again, they definitely had bigger problems right now.

 

\-----------------------

 

Niall truly hadn’t been considering what he would do if his dad texted him again, or if he called or whatever else and he also hadn’t discussed it with Zayn or his uncle, so he was slightly taken aback when he received a text message on Saturday. Liam had had another fight Friday night, conveniently after Niall’s shift had ended so he had come along, this time waiting in the car though, not speaking or seeing anybody, not even Zayn. 

So because Niall’s heat seemed to be late and because he had no idea if Zayn still had a plan or not because they hadn’t talked anymore, Niall was somehow trying to come up with his own plan, even if he wasn’t quite sure if he was smart enough to actually pull that off. But he had to do something, he couldn’t just sit around and watch, and if Zayn didn’t talk to him anymore about what was going on… Niall had to do it on his own.

“Are you sure you should be meeting with him again? Especially now?” Liam didn’t sound very happy about it, in fact, not at all, but it was obvious that he also thought about the fact that Niall was openly keeping secrets from him that possibly had something to do with this. “I don’t feel very good about this.”

“I… I could introduce you. If you wanna come along.” Niall offered, as if he had just randomly thought about it. 

“Today?” Liam clearly listened up at that, sitting a bit more straight on the bed. His fight last night had gone over pretty quickly, so there weren’t any new wounds really, and if he had on clothes then it was really hardly noticeable that anything had happened at all. “Do you think that’s a good idea? He’s somehow involved in all this and the text message from Zayn… “

“If he’s involved he already knows about it all anyways. And Zayn told me that he doesn’t actually know if there’s any connection there or not… he just overheard something.” No one had ever said Niall wasn’t allowed to meet with his dad again or introduce him to Liam, he just couldn’t tell either of them about his uncle and that he had already met him, so… “It’d be a lot more suspicious for me to just not meet with him again if he really is involved. Like, it’d be better to pretend I have no idea in that case.”

“True, but… did he say he wanted me to come along?” Liam seemed unsure and just because Niall really wanted this all to work out, he crawled across the bed, straddling his boyfriend’s lap and pressing their foreheads together as he felt Liam’s hands settling on his waist.

“No…. but I want you to come along.” Not only for all of this to play out like he wanted it to, but also because he truly wanted Liam to meet his dad and to have at least a little bit of normality in their lives. Also, he truly didn’t wanna be apart from Liam today. “I don’t think my dad’s a bad person and… I think he’d really like you. And if it turns out I was wrong then at least we still got out of the house for a few hours and I didn’t have to say goodbye to you for a day.”

“Okay, I’ll come… I trust you.” Liam said it as if he was implying something else with it, but Niall really didn’t wanna think about it so he simply smiled at Liam instead before kissing him.

He wasn’t sure if it was a good idea for Liam to trust him on this, but who else could they have trusted at this point if not each other? Niall sure as hell didn’t fully trust Zayn or his plan, because it had quite a few holes and sketchy parts that they had never really discussed after Zayn had told him the truth. So he had just come up with his own plan last night while sitting in Liam’s car waiting, and he wouldn’t tell a single soul about it, he’d do this one on his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone :)
> 
> i hope you had a nice halloween if you celebrate, or just a good week in general! and i also hope you enjoyed this chapter, i had a great idea for a cliffhanger but i held back haha. i still got one or two more surprises planned (or i hope they will be surprises haha), so we will see what's going to come out of all this!
> 
> also, i really want to kinda give you guys a guess on how long this fic will be but all i can say is i definitely dont want it to go over 30 chapters, because i feel like 300K would really be pushing it and i can almost not believe that it will have taken me over half a year to finish this fic by then lmao. i already got a new one planned tho so im getting excited for that!
> 
> anyways, let me know your thoughts if you want & have a great week <3


	25. Chapter 25

“Are you nervous?“ Niall sounded really amused when he asked and Liam felt a bit caught, forcing himself to stop playing with his fingers the entire time because it had apparently gotten slightly obvious. 

“No.” He lied jokingly, but the younger boy had already seen right through him anyways. “Funny how our places have switched, huh? Remember when you almost died before meeting my mom and I kept telling you it’s no big deal? I feel pretty stupid about that now.”

“It really is no big deal meeting my dad though, I hardly know him either.” True, but before Niall had met him, Liam had simply been worried that he would kidnap Niall or that it was his boss or something like that, but now he kinda actually had to try and make a good impression and it had come a bit out of nowhere. There was so much other stuff going on in their lives right now, Liam had a hard time focusing on just one thing. 

“That’s what worries me as well.” Liam admitted, because they still didn’t know what the deal was with Niall’s father or why Zayn had texted Liam about him and… well, maybe Niall did know. Maybe that’s what he was keeping from Liam, but the older boy knew he couldn’t ask. Well, he COULD have asked, but it would have only stressed Niall out and Liam trusted him, there had to be a reason he was keeping secrets from him. Liam just hoped it wasn’t bringing Niall into any unnecessary danger. “Did you really think this through? I mean, this whole thing? And bringing me along?”

“I did. I think it’s a good idea.” Niall shrugged, throwing a very brief look at Liam because he was driving the car so that Liam could rest his injured hand. Not quite sure if that was still making a difference now but it surely wasn’t hurting. “Are you in pain?”

“No, I’m feeling alright… just gotta think of something to tell your dad if he asks what happened to me.” To be fair, Liam didn’t look TOO terrible, he had definitely had worse injuries in his life, but he also wasn’t even close to being done with his fights. Or his punishment, more like. “And my dad. And your mom.”

“Don’t remind me of her, please.” The younger’s face had gotten a little harder and Liam regretted bringing her up, but it had truly just slipped out. “I feel like my life has become just one big avoidance technique, there’s always _something_.”

Liam didn’t answer immediately, he just thought about it for a moment before bringing their intertwined hands to his lips, kissing the back of Niall’s. “I’m sorry. I hope this is all over soon.”

“Me too… “ Niall sighed, but he didn’t seem very hopeful but rather thoughtful actually, not giving Liam the chance to really think about it though. “You really don’t have to be nervous though, I think my dad is the least of our problems.”

“I hope so.” Liam also hoped that Niall had truly thought this through and considered the consequences, but whenever he looked over to the younger boy, it seemed as if he had it all together and under control. A lot more so than Liam himself.

They were meeting up in the same café that Niall had met his dad for the first time as well, just a few days ago actually, only this time, Niall looked for a parking spot right opposite it even though they were actually early anyways. Which was good, because it gave Liam a few more minutes to let it sink in, calm his nerves. He couldn’t actually remember the last time he had been this nervous because of something that appeared so unimportant compared to everything else.

It felt strangely normal almost, to go into a café together and get something to drink and Liam kinda hated himself for living the past few days as if they were prisoners on the run from the police or something. It wasn’t helping anybody that they always stayed home to worry, it only made them feel worse in the end and now that his boss had revealed his punishment to him, there was nothing more to be afraid of really, was there? Except the fights of course, but Liam had been fighting for years, he would manage somehow. 

“A while ago you would have told me I can’t get hot chocolate with whipped cream because it’s too much sugar.” Niall commented when they sat down at a random table and Liam was surprised by that but he still laughed briefly, his chest loosening a little. 

“You rubbed off on me, I hardly ever think about that kinda stuff anymore.” Which also had completely other reasons of course but that was unnecessary to point out really. “But I also have no more photoshoots lined up, I think they’re gonna kick me out of the agency any day.”

“It would be their loss, any other agency would gladly take you.” The younger boy said it as if he truly meant it and wasn’t just trying to make Liam feel better, which made the older’s heart swell as he smiled at his boyfriend, wrapping an arm around him to pull him close enough to kiss his temple. 

“Thank you, baby.” For a moment, Liam wasn’t actually that nervous anymore, because Niall was here and they were spending some time together and for a second, it truly felt as if everything was going to be alright. 

“It’s true.” He shrugged, leaning closer into Liam so they could kiss for real when he turned his head. 

Niall convinced Liam to try his hot chocolate and they sat alone for at least 10 to 15 minutes, kinda having finished half their drinks already by the time the younger boy sat up a bit more straight, his eyes going to the entrance and Liam felt his heart skipping a beat, keeping his arm around the back of Niall’s chair though. For a moment, Liam didn’t think much of Niall’s father when their eyes met for just a second, he was just nervous as anybody in his position would have been, but then… he looked kind of familiar somehow. 

There was no time for Liam to say anything to Niall, because his father was already coming over and Liam swallowed whatever he had been about to say down, not being able to get rid of the weird feeling in his chest though. 

“You must be Liam then, good to meet you.” Niall’s father sounded and looked nice as he stretched his hand out towards Liam and the older boy quickly got up to shake it, returning the smile and trying to force himself to calm down. 

“I am, yeah… good to meet you too.” He actually sounded breathless, Liam was sure that Niall had noticed that as well because it wasn’t very much like him and he actually felt surprised by himself. Niall was his boyfriend though and this was his dad, Liam would have surely also been nervous had he met Niall’s mother when they had already been dating. Now he finally knew how Niall must have felt on their London trip. 

Niall’s father then left to get something to drink, giving Liam a moment to calm down and it actually took him a second to notice his boyfriend grinning at him from the side.

“What?” Liam felt confused for a moment, not wanting to leave his eyes off of Niall’s father for too long somehow so he wouldn’t be surprised once he came back to the table. Also, he still felt as if he had seen him before somehow, or at least somebody who kinda looked like him. 

“Nothing. ‘s just, you’re all flustered and stuff, I’m not used to that.” The younger boy sounded very amused, only turning Liam’s face even hotter when he reached out to touch his already blushed cheek. “Usually it’s me who turns all red.”

“It’s, uh… probably from that hot chocolate, too much sugar. Histamine and stuff.” Liam made some gesture with his hand, clearing his throat when Niall just nodded with his eyebrows pulled up, clearly not believing him. “He kinda… he reminds me of someone.”

“Of who?” Niall asked all casual, not having any more time though because his father was already coming back and it was yet again time for Liam’s heart to speed up. God, what was even wrong with him? 

“I was very excited when Niall told me he would bring you along. He already told me so much about you the first time we met.” Of course Liam had already known that, but hearing it from his boyfriend’s dad was still a whole lot different. This man seemed so nice and happy to be spending time with them, how in god’s name could he be involved in this whole mess with Liam’s boss? 

“I hope only good things.” Liam joked, feeling quite stupid for it after it was out though but whatever, it was too late now. “He told me a lot about you as well… um, good things, of course.”

“You didn’t sound so sure there.” The man across the table laughed and now Liam also felt bad even though everyone else was clearly amused. He couldn’t actually remember ever having gone through so many emotions at once, it was very strange somehow. “Do you go to the same university as Niall?”

“Um, yeah, exactly. I study something else though and I’m almost finished. We’re two years apart.” Well, provided he passed those last exams with everything going on and managed to hand everything in on time. Then again, Liam wouldn’t have cared about needing a bit longer to graduate, it’s not like anything would really change, he already had a job. Two jobs, to be exact. “Niall said you’re a lawyer?”

“Don’t worry, he’s not asking because he needs one either.” Niall threw in and then he and his father both laughed as if they already had inside jokes and it did lighten the mood a bit. Also, it made Liam feel really happy for the younger boy because he deserved to have a good relationship with his dad, even after only knowing him for such a short amount of time and especially since his mother had been lying to him and they still hadn’t talked it out. Probably also wouldn’t in the near future, judging by how Niall reacted each time Liam did as much as mention her. 

“I’m glad. But yes, I’m a lawyer.” He nodded, taking a sip from his coffee or whatever he was having and Liam tried not to sound too desperate trying to make conversation. He probably was though.

“Did you have to move back here because of your job?” Liam knew that he had lived somewhere else all those year and had only recently come back or something, but he didn’t know any details. 

“Partly. But it was also a personal decision and luckily I was able to switch law firms. I’ve been here for a few months now though, but I’ve only run into Niall’s mother last weekend, as he probably told you. Not that I thought she still lived here or anything.” Sounded as if he was telling the truth, but there was also no reason for Liam to believe that he wasn’t, so he just nodded, hoping that he’d switch the topic again. For Niall’s sake. “I’ve lived in London all those years, ever since I left.”

“Oh, my mom lives in London with her husband.” Liam threw in, though he wasn’t all too surprised. Then again, maybe that meant Niall’s father was kind of a big deal as a lawyer? Or maybe not, Liam decided not to ask because it would have only made him sound kinda dumb. “Niall and I visited them not too long ago.”

“I heard about that as well. The trip you got together, right?” Okay, Niall had definitely talked a lot about Liam. Not that Liam would complain, he was actually quite glad it was Niall who turned a bit red this time while nodding and Liam threw a side smile at him, putting his hand on the younger’s upper thigh. “Sorry if that’s too personal.”

“It’s really not.” Liam reassured him because why would he have minded anybody knowing that? Especially Niall’s father. Plus, if the younger boy enjoyed talking about them so much… Liam surely wouldn’t tell him to stop. “I always like hearing Niall talked about me.”

“Don’t be so vain.” The younger boy joked, rolling his eyes when Liam grinned at him, for a moment almost leaning in to kiss him but then deciding otherwise. 

There was more small talk following that, but easy small talk, it didn’t feel forced or anything and Liam now got what Niall had told him about his father when he had first met him. He seemed really attentive, as if he actually cared about what was going on and stuff, as if he truly wanted to know things about their lives and as time passed by, it got harder and harder for Liam to feel weird or to be suspicious of this man being involved in anything they were going through. 

Maybe Zayn had misheard something? Maybe it was all completely different and Niall knew that because otherwise he surely wouldn’t have agreed to meet with his dad again, and bring Liam with him on top of that. Maybe it was about the thing he couldn’t tell Liam? Hopefully they weren’t just ignoring Zayn’s warning, but seeing as he and Niall seemed to have talked, who knew what else had happened without Liam being aware of it?

“There was actually something I wanted to clear up from last time we met, Niall.” Niall’s father started after they had probably been here for an hour already and Liam had talked way more than he had planned on, it had just been kinda effortless. 

“Oh?” The younger boy asked, still taking a sip from his second hot chocolate though that Liam had decided to get him a few minutes ago because he had finished his first one so quickly.

“Just something you asked me… I think I didn’t answer it quite correctly.” The way he said it almost made Liam listen up, expecting something serious now and it surely seemed to turn out like that for a moment. “When you asked me whether I have family… “

Niall slowly put his cup down, his facial expression unreadable to Liam, not saying anything at all though but instead just waiting. 

“I think I should have mentioned I have a brother, I just assumed you were asking whether I was married or had other children, which I don’t. But I also didn’t wanna overwhelm you with it or anything.” Okay, well, this was not as exciting as Liam had thought it would be and Niall also didn’t seem too surprised or as if he cared too much. 

“Oh, so… I have an uncle?” He asked, his voice neutral and Liam wasn’t sure if he was happy about it or not, but then again, it’s not like that really mattered, right? He apparently had an uncle, whether he was happy about it or not. “Where does he live?”

“He lives here, actually. I told him about you last weekend after I ran into your mother, he would really like to meet you as well, but it’s very understandable if you need time or if you don’t want to of course. I wasn’t going to mention it to you so early, but I felt bad for kind of giving you the wrong answer last time.” He sounded guilty, maybe because he was thinking about Niall’s mother lying to him also concerning family related stuff, because that was surely what Liam was thinking about. 

“I think I’d like to meet him, actually… it’s funny somehow, I only really ever had my mom to count as family, maybe my grandparents and now… “ Now he had a father as well as an uncle, which was even kinda more than Liam could have said although he did have all that as well and grandparents and stuff, he just hardly ever saw them except for on special occasions. Niall seemed kind of delighted though, so that was a good thing. “What does he do? Like, for a living?”

“He’s a personal trainer, he works with a couple of gyms around the city. We’re very different.” He smiled upon saying it and Liam wondered whether he had ever met Niall’s uncle before, he had been to a couple of gyms in the past few years, but he had never had a personal trainer, so probably not. Then again, how funny would that have been? 

“Does he train people like me or people like Liam?” Niall asked jokingly and Liam wanted to tell him to stop talking himself down indirectly, but he was laughing so maybe he was just trying to joke around a bit so Liam didn’t say anything. “Liam’s going to the gym a lot because he’s a model.”

“Ni… “ Okay, now it was Liam’s turn to be blushed again, especially because of the way Niall had said it, all proud and stuff. 

“What? You _are_. Although, I think I already told you that.” The last part was directed at his father again and honestly, Liam had no idea how they had already switched the topic again so quickly, but he wished they hadn’t. 

“I think so too… actually, I was wondering since Niall told me that, is it no problem for you to have tattoos for that?” Again, he sounded genuinely interested, so Liam took it upon himself to tell Niall’s father about what exactly Photoshop was when he just stared at him in confusion, his next question kind of throwing Liam off track a little though. “So it could also be used for bruises or something?”

“Oh, um, yeah, of course.” Liam cleared his throat a little, knowing what Niall’s father had referred to without directly asking about it so he decided to just tell him because whatever. “I got in an accident a few days ago, that’s why I probably look a bit rough. But it was nothing serious, just some cyclist who didn’t pay attention, it’s gonna heal.”

“Okay, I’m glad to hear that, I was slightly worried, I just didn’t wanna ask you directly in case you didn’t wanna talk about it. I was worried you got into a fight or something.” Right, well, surely everyone thought that because that’s what had happened after all. 

“Then we would have really needed a lawyer.” It was Niall who said it, randomly, and of course it was only Liam who got the implication and it made his heart speed up a little, throwing a side glance at his boyfriend that went ignored. Why the hell would he have said that? 

Liam kinda moved on his chair, wanting to say something as well but then he didn’t when the younger boy put his hand on top of Liam’s still on his thigh, as if to stop him so Liam shut his mouth, confused as hell though. 

“Well, if you ever do then you have my number. Seriously though, if either of you ever need anything… “ He made some gesture with his hand, sounding very serious about it and Liam had to swallow because this was truly not what he had expected to come out of today. It was Niall who had started it though, out of pure purpose, did he want them to talk to his father about all this? So why hadn’t he warned Liam beforehand or discussed it with him? Because it surely would have been a terrible idea to talk about it with him especially now after what had happened. 

Luckily, Niall didn’t say anything else about it, so it really seemed as if he had just randomly said it with no intentions which only confused Liam even more, but he was glad when they switched the topic once more, to something a lot less dangerous. They sat there for probably another hour, maybe a little longer than that, and it was Niall’s father who left first because he still had some paperwork to do or something and after saying goodbye to him, Niall and Liam decided to stay in the café for a bit longer to finish their drinks. Also because they would be back home soon enough.

“So, what do you think about him?” Niall asked, leaning more into Liam now that they were alone again, the older boy slowly wrapping his arm back around him to pull him in. 

“I like him, I see what you meant when you told me about him. He seems really nice and interested… I have no idea how he could be involved in any of this. I don’t think he is.” Like, how could he have? He was a _lawyer_ … speaking of which… “I just… “

“Just what?” The younger boy frowned and Liam shook his head slowly, for a moment regretting having said anything, but then he still did.

“Why’d you say that before, about us needing a lawyer if I got into a fight? Do you still wanna ask him for help? Because… I’m not sure if that would be a good idea, especially now.” Liam brushed some hair out of Niall’s forehead, playing with it for a bit and the younger boy leaned into his touch, seemingly enjoying it. 

“I don’t know why I said that… it kinda slipped out and… maybe I kinda wanted you to hear him say he’d help us with anything. But I don’t wanna talk to him about anything right now, I don’t think it would be very smart to either… sorry, I didn’t wanna like, take you off guard or anything. I shouldn’t have said it.” Almost immediately, Liam felt stupid for having said something, also feeling relieved that Niall didn’t actually wanna tell his father though. Because if he had wanted to… who would Liam have been to stop him? It was his good right to tell anybody anything. 

“It’s okay, don’t worry, I mean… maybe he could help us, I don’t know. I just don’t want things to turn even worse right now.” Which seemed hardly possible, but knowing his boss… 

“They won’t.” Niall’s voice sounded firm for a moment, almost as if he really wanted Liam to believe him and maybe he did, for just a second. “I can’t believe I have an uncle.”

“Yeah… that’s crazy. Do you wanna meet him?” It had sounded like he did just before, but he might have only said that to make his father happy.

“I think so, I mean, why not, right? He’s my uncle… would you wanna meet him too? Or is that too much family business for you?” The younger boy joked and Liam rolled his eyes, but he was actually thrilled that Niall wanted him to come along to that as well if it happened anytime in the future. 

“No, I’d be happy to meet him too if you decide you want to. I think it’d be really cool.” Especially if he turned out this nice as well and if he worked at the gym… Liam would have something to talk about already. “You know what I can’t stop thinking about though?”

“What?” Niall asked somewhere into his cup before taking a sip, and right before Liam answered to tell him what had been on his mind ever since he had first seen Niall’s father, he suddenly had a realization. “Li?”

“Sorry, um… I’ve just been thinking since I’ve seen your father walking in that he kinda reminds me of someone.” Stupid, how had Liam needed this long to realize of who?

“Right, you already said that… Of who?” Somehow, Niall sounded very interested in the answer, he visibly froze a bit on the chair, probably also thinking about who it could have been.

“Of Zayn. Don’t you think?” At least with some fantasy.

“Wh- He reminds you of _Zayn?_ ” Right, well, maybe not.

“I mean, kind of. But he also looks like you a bit, because he’s your dad obviously, but you and Zayn don’t look alike at all… I don’t know, I already kinda forgot his face.” Also, Liam hadn’t really been thinking about it anymore the past hour or so, so his memory was kinda fading. “Maybe I just spent a bit too much time thinking about Zayn lately.”

“Maybe.” Niall answered, studying Liam’s face for a moment longer before looking away to put down his cup again and the mood felt weird for a second, but then Niall said something else and Liam kinda forgot about it again, just relieved that it had all gone so well and that Niall’s father didn’t seem to hate him.

 

\--------------

 

“And this is supposed to be a safe place for us to talk?” Zayn sounded anything but impressed but Niall didn’t care about what he thought. Not anymore. “It’s a public building.”

“It’s a cinema, Zayn. And it’s a Sunday night. Who goes to the cinema on a Sunday night?” Truly, why was Zayn questioning this, he had obviously never been here before and Niall had worked here long enough to know the drill.

“A lot of people, apparently.” The other boy was nodding towards all the popcorn behind the counter and Niall just rolled his eyes at him. They were all alone because Niall was working the popcorn bar by himself and a movie had just started with like 3 people who had gone in to see it. 

“It’s pre-made for the whole week.” Niall told him though he probably shouldn’t have. 

“That’s gross. And you like working here?” Okay, what was this?

“Does it matter? I didn’t ask you to come so that you could question my life choices.” Niall had thought about it long enough since yesterday, after meeting with his dad and introducing him to Liam. So far everything was going well, although maybe not completely, but it could have been worse. Liam was at a fight right now and Niall had wanted to call in sick to work so he could come along, but the older boy had somehow managed to convince him not to do it, telling him that maybe the fight would only start after Niall’s shift was over and he just had to be there early as always. 

“Trust me, I’ve already given up on that a while ago.” Zayn was being so sarcastic today that Niall wondered why he had even shown up. Then again, they hadn’t talked since Thursday, like, at all, and they probably should have and they both knew it. “So, anything new? Did Liam bite you already?”

“No.” Maybe Niall should have lied, he had also thought about telling his father last night that they had indeed bonded, that he had lied last time, but it’d only become even more suspicious if he told Niall’s uncle about it.

“Good, because I was thinking, maybe he shouldn’t.” Wait, what? “It seems your uncle really doesn’t know that you lied and thinks you’re bonded. So everything he does is probably not hurting you as much as he thinks.”

“What do you mean?” Was he saying Niall didn’t care as much about Liam right now?

“I mean, your relationship would change if Liam bites you, you’d be even more emotionally involved than you already are. Especially if he turns out to be your soulmate and gets hurt during fights, you wouldn’t be able to keep a clear head. Or at least, not like right now. And I know you’re gonna say that’s not true and whatever, but it is, if you bond, everything will change. Also… “ Zayn then broke off, as if he wanted to piss Niall off even more than he already had just now.

“What?” Niall half snapped, because what the hell, who was Zayn to come here and tell him that maybe Liam wasn’t even his soulmate and that Niall didn’t love him as much as he possibly could have?

“Just… I don’t wanna say this, but whatever. You know, in case anything happens again and like… you know, if you guys piss him off again, which is kinda likely considering everything going on… I’m not putting it past your uncle to use your bond to make Liam even more furious and push him even further during fights. For example… if he makes you be there during your heart or something and tells Liam he’s gonna let some other Alpha… you know.” One second…

“You think my own uncle would let me get _raped_ by some Alpha?” Niall could feel the blood draining from his face because yeah, he had thought about punishments that Liam would have to go through, but… not about this. 

“I’m not saying he really would do it in the end, I’m just saying he would pretend just to get Liam riled up. And yeah, it’d piss Liam off enough already even if you’re not bonded, but once he officially becomes your Alpha and you’re in heat and this happens… he’d probably truly kill somebody. It’s just instincts.” Zayn shrugged, as if it was obvious, as if Niall wasn’t pale as a sheet right now and kinda wanted to puke. “Then again, if he finds out you’re not bonded… he might do the exact same thing, just telling Liam he’s gonna make one of the other guys bond with you instead.”

“Um, what the fuck, Zayn? Why’re you only telling me all this shit now after I already met him and have been there twice?!” God, if Liam thought about these things as well then there was no bloody way he’d ever even let Niall leave the house again. 

“For the record, I never told you to go meet him or go to any fight, at all. You did that yourself by calling me, which I also told you not to do.” Right… “But don’t worry, Liam’s good at just taking his punishments and your uncle needs him, we just wait until all this blows over and a bit of time passes and then we’ll discuss what we do.”

“So your plan…?” Niall asked, waiting for Zayn to finish his sentence because this was kinda what he had expected. 

“Needs to be rethought. You kinda messed with it a little bit if you remember.” To be fair though, Zayn’s plan, if it could even be called that, had never been very good to begin with, Niall had just been desperate as fuck when they had met up the first time. So obviously he had been hopeful when Zayn had told him he’d talk to his boss, convince him that Liam was too distracted because of Niall, that it’d be better to use somebody else for the fights, himself most of all, but now… “Doesn’t mean you should tell Liam anything though. You didn’t… right?”

“I’m not a child.” And Niall was done being treated like one. “Also, on Thursday night you said you still had a plan, what happened to that?”

“I reflected on it the past few days.” Or he hadn’t, and he had just been lying to Niall all along. “Maybe you could try that.”

“Reflect on what?” They were gonna start fighting if Niall didn’t calm down, he could feel it, and maybe Zayn could too.

“Your impulsive decision making. You’re lucky nothing worse has come out of it so far.” Niall had to admit that Zayn was right, even if he absolutely hated it and the thing was, he had kinda done a lot more than Zayn knew. Meeting up with his dad and introducing him to Liam had somehow been an impulsive decision as well, one that he would never tell Zayn about thought. “Just try to lay low for now, like your uncle said.”

“And what are you gonna do?” That was the better question, because so far Zayn had done absolutely nothing. 

“The same. I’m gonna talk to him when the time comes and then-“

“And when will that be? When Liam breaks a bone and loses three teeth?” Probably not even then. 

“Niall, what do you want me to do? Do you want me to kill your uncle or something?” Now that he was saying it… “Don’t answer that, actually. I’m trying, okay? I don’t think about much else anymore, I’m failing like three classes.”

“I’m failing all of mine.” Niall threw in as if it was a competition, but it was kind of the truth anyways. He didn’t know what he wanted Zayn to do either, he just wanted a sign that he could trust him so he wouldn’t have to do everything on his own, but right now, everything was pointing into a completely different direction. “Anyways, I just wanted to check if there’s anything new and if you still have a plan, so… “

“So I should leave now?” Zayn almost sounded amused though Niall had no idea why because none of this was funny. It was sad, actually. 

“I mean… I can’t make you. It’s a cinema.” Maybe Niall didn’t want him to leave, he wasn’t sure, because even though he didn’t trust Zayn and they weren’t friends and there was something shady going on, it was better than being alone with his own thoughts. Sure, Niall could have called Louis to come and hang out as well, but he had caused him and Harry enough worries the past few days, especially after disappearing in the middle of the night. 

“Don’t worry, I’m leaving… are you going to watch the fight later?” Okay, it was weird as fuck to hear Zayn asking that all casually. 

“Liam doesn’t know when it is and if my shift even ends before that, so… but if you’re going there you can text me updates.” Just so Zayn would be good for something at least. 

“I will if anything major happens.” He rolled his eyes and Niall felt a bit sick to his stomach upon imaging it, but he also still felt sick because of what Zayn had said before. “And Niall… please don’t try anything really stupid.”

“So only stupid is okay?” Niall asked sarcastically, which only made the older boy sigh with frustration, as if talking to Niall was really that exhausting and annoying. 

“You know what I mean. I know you wanna help your boyfriend, which is understandable, but I feel like you don’t know where the line is between fucking everything up even more and actually doing something useful.” Maybe so, but that wouldn’t stop Niall from doing whatever he wanted because who was Zayn to tell him what was right and what wasn’t? How would he even know? If it had gone after him then Niall still wouldn’t even know how his dad was involved in all this. 

“I’ll try.” Niall told him, in a voice though that made it clear to Zayn that he didn’t care about his advice and the older boy just rolled his eyes again, turning to go, but then Niall decided he really did wanna ask this one question that’s been on his mind lately. “Hey, one question.”

“What?” Zayn stopped in his movement, seemingly confused, but he also didn’t look as if he was in a hurry. 

“How come you never have to fight?” Truly though, Zayn was always just THERE, but Niall couldn’t even remember the last time he had seen Zayn with a bruise before this whole New York fiasco. Like, did he even have to fight? Ever? Apparently he was the go to guy after Liam, so… 

“I do?” Zayn answered without hesitation and Niall suddenly wondered whether he was just making himself look like a fool right now. “What makes you think I don’t?”

“I don’t know, ‘cos whenever something happens it seems you were only ever there and never did a fight yourself. And Liam’s only ever going there when he actually fights, he never just goes there to watch like you.” Which, now that Niall truly thought about it, was weird as hell and even more sketchy than everything else. “And my uncle said you’d have to take your punishment as well… it doesn’t look like you’re getting punished.”

For a second, it looked like Zayn was about to say something, but he just stared at Niall instead, not opening his mouth for a few seconds and when he did, it only made Niall more suspicious. “If I wanted to get you and Liam in even more trouble, I would have already done it. I’m not the villain, so stop trying to find reasons to make me one.”

“Wh-“

Niall started, but the older boy just walked away and out of the cinema and Niall couldn’t follow obviously because he was at work and he had to admit he felt really upset now. Like what kinda shit answer had that even been? He shouldn’t have asked, because now he couldn’t stop thinking about it and he was also worried about Liam and all in all, it would be a long fucking night. 

 

\----------------------

 

Niall was more than nervous to go and talk to his mother and he also wasn’t even sure if he was ready to forgive her yet, but he kinda didn’t have a choice right now. Also, it was rare that he and Liam spent any time apart whenever Liam wasn’t at any fights, so Niall had to use the chance. Not that he had changed his mind about wanting Liam to be there with him during the conversation, but he couldn’t talk and ask as freely with the older boy there because of the secrets he had to keep from him.

It was Monday now and Liam was still at uni, having made Niall ask Harry to give him a lift home just so he’d be safer. Last night, Niall’s shift had actually lasted way longer than Liam’s fight and he had been so thrilled to see Liam there afterwards to pick him up, almost completely free from new bruises, that he had decided today was the day. Everything was going well for now and Niall had to use that chance.

“Hey, um… mom?” Niall forced himself to go into the kitchen right when he got home and had seen her shoes by the door, hearing her unpack groceries. 

“Yes, love?” She didn’t sound surprised, but she was probably just pretending because she did smile at Niall extra nicely, stopping what she had been doing. “Home so early?”

“Yeah… a class got cancelled, so Harry drove me.” Niall explained, awkwardly standing in the doorway for a second before giving himself a push. He wasn’t a baby and this needed to be done sooner or later. “Look, I… I wanted to apologize. For not talking to you a lot the past week and for kind of being pissed off and sulking. It wasn’t fair.”

“Niall, you really don’t have to apologize. It was my fault, entirely, and I don’t blame you for being mad at me, I expected it. I shouldn’t have done what I did.” Now his mother seemed surprised, but also, she looked really guilty and it made Niall feel a bit better for apologizing. He was doing the right thing, he knew it. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay… you don’t need to say sorry anymore, I… it’s been over a week and I’ve met with him twice and I introduced him to Liam and… I’m just glad you ran into him.” Honestly, Niall truly was glad that he now had a father even with all this going on. 

“Me too. Although not at first, but I’m happy you get along and that he met Liam already… you deserve to have your father in your life and I’m glad he seems to have changed for the better. What’s in the past is in the past.” The way she said it almost sounded as if she was trying to convince herself and Niall knew this must have been hard for her. After all, he had no idea what had actually happened between them before he had even born. 

“Actually… “ Niall started after a moment of hesitation, his mother having started to unpack groceries again and he wasn’t quite sure how to word this, but there was no way around it. “I was wondering something.”

“Yes?” His mother asked, seemingly more distracted now as she organized things into the fridge. 

“So… I know we already talked about, like… like what happened and why you split up and stuff… “ The boy started, carefully, walking around the kitchen counter to sit on one of the bar stools. “But I just… I was just wondering if there was more that happened.”

“What do you mean?” Okay, clearly Niall had chosen the wrong words, but there was no taking them back now. 

“I mean… I know he treated you bad and you had a lot of arguments and you were young and… and that you just wanted him gone and he was bonded with somebody else, but… was that all that happened?“ As if that weren’t enough reasons to be honest.

“I mean, mostly, yes. Why are you asking? Did he say something to you?” Almost immediately, Niall’s mother had turned around to stare Niall down and the boy was quick to shake his head.

“No, we didn’t talk about that at all. Or about you. I was just wondering.” Niall tried again, stupidly hoping for something else to hold onto. 

“I know he’s not at all like I described him to you whenever you asked. Whenever we talked about him… I was still angry for a really long time, and hurt, and I felt guilty because I was lying to you and I know I painted a really bad picture of him. But that was him twenty years ago, I don’t know what he’s like today and you’re probably now wondering how somebody you actually get along with and even introduced your boyfriend to could fit into the stories I told you. But I wasn’t innocent either, it was just a really long time ago and people change, Niall.” To be fair, it had been longer in the past than Niall was even alive and maybe he had to just give up on this and stop asking if there clearly was nothing more to say. “But please don’t ask me if you can invite him to the wedding now.”

“What? No, I wasn’t going to… that’d just be weird and he’s got no business being there anyways.” Just because Niall got along with both his parents didn’t mean they had to get along, right? Also, he had forgotten about that wedding yet again anyways. “Sorry for asking all this stuff, it’s just a lot to take in.”

“I know, Ni. But you can always ask me anything, you know that, right? And if there’s anything else then please come talk to me, or talk to Liam or Louis or just someone, okay? You seem a bit stressed out lately.” So she had noticed that even without them actually seeing each other a lot? Great. “I also noticed you and Liam had quite a few late nights out… “

“Yeah, um… we did.” Niall admitted, because what would he have said? It was true.

“Is everything okay? If Liam’s got a problem we can talk about that as well when he gets home, I wouldn’t go and just talk to Geoff about it, I know they don’t have the most open relationship.” This was clearly referring to the bruises covering Liam’s body that were always increasing, but Niall was just glad that his mother wasn’t asking directly about that. 

“Yeah, no, um… everything’s fine. We’re just stressed because of exams and stuff… “ Exams that Niall would fail, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t not stressed about them. “But thanks, I’m gonna tell him, just in case there’s something. Or something comes up, I don’t know.”

So then they stopped talking for a few minutes, Niall’s mother put away the rest of the groceries and Niall was on his phone, texting Harry about something but still being caught up in his mind at the same time. He couldn’t get rid of feeling weird about all of this and about everyone involved, except Liam of course.

Yes, Niall’s uncle was Liam’s boss and that already made the whole thing complicated enough, but somehow, he couldn’t get rid of the feeling that there was something else, something that nobody had told him yet and that would have cleared a few more things up. 

So when Niall’s mother was done putting everything away and Niall had agreed on eating lunch with her because why not, he just watched her starting to cook for a bit without saying anything else until he couldn’t take it anymore. 

“You know what he told me? Dad, I mean?” Calling him that still felt weird to Niall and he wasn’t sure if he’d ever get used to the word.

“What?” His mother asked, not yet sounding alarmed or anything and maybe there wasn’t a reason to either, who knew?

“That he has a brother. I mean, I’ve actually got an uncle… did you know that?” Niall wasn’t asking because he wanted her to feel bad in case she had indeed known that, but he still needed to know. Even though… “Mom?”

“Sorry, um… yeah, I… I know that he has a brother, but he doesn’t live here.” Wait, what?

“No, he does, he told me. He actually wants to introduce us a-“

“What?” Okay, now that reaction had come a bit out of nowhere, also because she immediately turned around, the knife still in her hand because she had been chopping onions and Niall flinched a bit. “He wants to _introduce_ you?”

“Um, yes? Why? Is that a problem? Do you know him?” See, this was why Niall had come talk to his mother, although right at this second it didn’t seem like such a brilliant idea anymore. Why was she freaking out like that? Did she know him as well? Did she… did she know what his real job was? 

“It doesn’t matter. I’m just surprised, that’s all.” She settled for that answer after studying Niall’s face for a moment, seemingly conflicted on the inside. “Just… be careful.”

“So you do know him?” She had to know _something_. 

“Yes, I know him. Or have known him, we only met a few times back then, I just… I know they never got along and he also didn’t live here when I was still with your father, so… let’s just say, nobody really got along with him. But again, that was twenty years ago, apparently they put aside their differences.” Right, well, this did sound beyond not getting along or simply not liking somebody though.

“What differences? And why would I be careful? He’s just a personal trainer at a gym or something.” Maybe Niall mentioning his job was already being too suspicious but he HAD to know what his mother knew. The fact alone that she had also met Liam’s boss, the whole irony of it… but even worse, that meant he knew Niall’s mother as well, he knew their whole family and where they lived and worked. He could have truly done anything to them. 

“I don’t know, but… look. It was just another thing your father and I disagreed over, among many other things. He was just another reason I wanted your father gone from our lives. Your uncle… he worked a lot of weird jobs, not all of them legal I believe and he tried to convince me to… you know. With him. A couple of times. Which I declined of course, because he had somebody new every few weeks anyways, it was just all… a really messy situation.” Oh. “But again, maybe that changed, maybe he finally quit the drinking and got a decent job, it was ages ago. If you do meet with him though… I think it’d be a good idea to bring Liam along with you. Just in case.”

“I can take care of myself.” Niall answered automatically, but mostly because… if he had brought Liam along to a meeting like that then he’d be dead. They both would be. “But, um… I don’t know if I really wanna meet him anyways.”

“It’s your decision, I trust that your father knows what he is doing, I was just surprised.” Sounded like she had been a lot more than just surprised. “But seeing as he’s apparently become a lawyer, I suppose his brother has gotten it together as well.” 

“It sounded like it.” Niall threw in though he was just lying of course because he knew that his uncle had definitely NOT gotten it together. At least not in private and in secret. “So do I have any more family members I should know of?”

“Maybe a couple hundred cousins around the country your uncle has to somehow support or doesn’t even know of, but other than that… their parents died very young and they had no family except themselves. At least as far as I was aware. I didn’t meet anybody else except his brother.” She finally turned back around at this to resume chopping onions, leaving Niall feeling slightly sick to his stomach as he let all of this sink in. “Do you know when Liam’s coming home? Just so I know how much to make.”

“Uh, yeah, in about half an hour.” Niall answered a bit absently, but he knew Liam’s schedule so well he barely had to think about it anymore. “I’ll text him not to get food on the way home.”

So that was their conversation done and Niall was relieved that he had gotten it over with, but he also felt frustrated because he hadn’t really learned anything new. There was still something that he couldn’t put his finger on, something that was still bothering him in all this and that he felt was essential to know.

Liam was of course very surprised that Niall had sorted things with his mother when he came home, but he also seemed happy for the younger boy and Niall tried not to overthink too much for the rest of the day, instead just focusing on Liam and nothing else. He had no fight tonight but there were more lined up in the following few days so Niall tried to make the most out of the nights that they wouldn’t have to part. 

 

\------------------------

 

“I thought of something… “ Liam started, chuckling when Niall let out a frustrated groan because they had kinda been in the middle of something here.

“Now?” Niall asked, slowly blinking his eyes open, his breath still going quite heavy because they had just been snogging on Liam’s bed. There was nothing better than getting to spend his nights with Niall, having nowhere to be, and Liam only started appreciating this more and more as time went by.

“No… but I just remembered it.” The older boy told him, leaning down to kiss Niall’s already swollen lips again because he couldn’t get enough of him. 

“What is it?” Niall half whispered, his fingers carding through Liam’s hair, giving the other boy goosebumps all the way down his spine.

“I just thought about everything the last few days and I… maybe we should bond.” Liam just said it, waiting for the younger’s reaction, which came with quite a delay so Liam decided to continue quickly because he realized what this sounded like. “I mean… I love you and I know we said we wouldn’t do it just because, but I don’t feel like it’s because of that anymore. I want you, always, and I know you’re my soulmate and it seems pointless to wait, especially considering what’s going on.”

“Why do you think I’m your soulmate?” The younger boy was asking quietly, not as if he didn’t believe that they were soulmates, more as if he just wanted Liam to tell him why he felt that way. 

“Because” Liam started, reaching out to trace the outline of the younger’s lips with his finger, feeling his breath against his skin. “I’ve never felt as much as myself as when I’m with you. We’re the perfect team and I’d trust you with anything, you’re the only person I wanna tell everything to and I wanna know everything you have to say and ever since we started dating I haven’t had a single bit of doubt. Like, it all just fell into place and it felt familiar from the moment we first kissed, somehow meant to be. And I couldn’t see myself with anybody else in the future, I wouldn’t wanna be with anybody else because I know there’s no one like you, and I just want you. I think we were made for each other and that’s what a soulmate should feel like.”

Niall didn’t answer immediately, he was just staring at Liam while the other boy was still busy stroking his face and softly tracing his features, suddenly feeling so much love for him that he could have cried. Apparently, he wasn’t the only one. “I… I really didn’t expect that right now.”

“Is that a bad thing?” Liam couldn’t help but smile, leaning down until their foreheads were touching and he could rub his nose against Niall’s, making the younger boy laugh quietly, breathlessly, as he wrapped his arms around the older’s neck. 

“No… fuck, I love you so much, Liam. I feel the same way you do… I know I wouldn’t ever want anybody else, you’re it for me and I _know_ we were made for each other and I want nothing more in the world than to be as close to you as somehow possible and bond with you….” Somehow though, and even though Liam wasn’t looking at Niall right now, he could feel the _but_ coming. “I… “

“What’s wrong?” Liam pulled away again, feeling worry filling him as he studied the younger’s face, Niall refusing to look him in the eyes. “Is it because of what’s going on?”

“I don’t know… I’m scared. I’m scared we’re gonna bond and your boss is gonna use it against us somehow. I don’t know what it’s like to be someone’s mate, what’s it gonna feel like if… if either of us gets hurt or… “ Or worse. Liam had thought about that as well if he was being honest with himself, but only after the pressure of having to bond because of his boss had fallen off of him because it appeared he hadn’t looked through their lies. “But I also hate that we always have to consider that as well, like… I always wanted it to come naturally and… you know I want to, right? Like, I really, really do.”

“I know, baby. I didn’t mean for us to do it right now anyways, or even in the next few days, just… I know the last time we talked about it I made it sound as if I didn’t want to, that I’d only do it if you asked me to, but… that’s not the case, at all. I really want to as well, even if maybe it’s soon or whatever, I don’t care.” He had just wanted Niall to know, because he truly meant it and no matter what happened, he knew the younger boy was the love of his life. The way it should have felt if they were soulmates. 

“Me neither… “ Niall answered after a moment, but he started smiling then and when he pulled Liam down a bit to kiss him again, it didn’t feel as if he still had worries as they picked up where they had left off before. 

Liam still felt sore, but all that moved into the background later when their kisses got more heated and Liam was rocking inside the younger boy, trying to keep their moans muffled though it almost felt impossible because it had been a few days. Later, when they were lying underneath the sheets just holding onto each other without trying to fall asleep just yet, Liam was stroking his hand over the younger’s bare stomach, suddenly thinking about how he should have gone into heat a while ago already, but he chose not to say anything. 

Right now, they had so much going on that Liam didn’t wanna stress the younger boy out even more, he just wanted to lie here for one night and think about nothing except about how much he loved Niall.

 

\--------------

 

“Captivating, isn’t it?” Niall barely flinched when he heard the voice almost right next to his ear because he had somehow expected to hear it. 

He didn’t answer, just kept his eyes fixated on Liam’s bare back, trying not to let it show that he both felt like throwing the fuck up and killing whoever his boyfriend was fighting meters away from him. Niall wasn’t waiting in the car tonight and Liam hadn’t said anything when he had walked into the building with him and the younger boy had been aware that everyone must have been staring at them the whole time before, but he didn’t care.

There were so many people now and it was loud and Niall was standing off to the side by himself where the light didn’t hit too much, so he hadn’t been surprised that his uncle had come to talk to him without anybody even noticing. They were all captivated by the fight instead. 

“I gotta say, I was quite surprised to get a phone call from my brother gushing about how lovely his son’s boyfriend is.” Obviously he had been bound to find out, what was new? “And how much you’d like to meet me.”

“Why surprised?” Niall asked, for a moment afraid that maybe they had talked about the bonding thing, but actually, he was quite certain they hadn’t. Either ways, he would have soon found that out. “I can’t introduce my boyfriend to my own father?”

“I never said you couldn’t, I don’t care if you did. I just hope you remember our talk and our deal, that’s all.” He was now standing next to Niall, but the boy still refused to look away from Liam, who was now clearly having the upper hand during the fight luckily. “And that you’re already preparing for when we meet officially and find an excuse as to why Liam won’t be joining us. Sadly, I would have so loved to have him there with us.”

“Don’t worry. I’m definitely prepared.” Especially for this conversation just now, which was really the only reason why Niall was able to talk all confident right now. 

There had been a moment last night, after Liam had already fallen asleep, where Niall had just been staring at his face, thinking about how damn lucky he actually was despite all the shit going on and then out of nowhere, it had suddenly hit him. That one puzzle piece he seemed to have missed out on. Maybe that’s why he had decided to come along to the fight tonight, maybe he had hoped to talk to his uncle.

“Maybe instead you could bring along your mother, I haven’t seen her in ages. Beautiful woman.” If Niall hadn’t talked to his mother about this already, he surely would have lost his cool now, but instead, he simply looked over to smile at his uncle, knowing that it was bothering him on the inside how he wasn’t at all phased by the comment. 

“But if we’re gonna make it a family reunion then we should really invite everybody.” Niall told him without skipping a beat, satisfaction filling his stomach when he saw confusion flicker across his uncle’s face. “Should I ask Zayn when he’s free or do you want to do it?”

There was no answer, but Niall had his confirmation when he saw his uncle’s face harden immediately, no attempt to deny it. It was clear that he hadn’t been expecting this at all, that he had thought Niall was clueless, which, to be fair, he had been until last night where he had finally put the pieces together.

“I know he’s your son.” Niall said right before everyone started screaming even louder and Liam had won the fight, so Niall threw one more look at his uncle before simply walking away to go and kiss his boyfriend, for once actually feeling as if he had things under control.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello everybody :) i hope you had a good week!
> 
> i can't believe this fic has been going on for 25 weeks, thats just crazy, i dont think ive ever spent this long on a fic except one time! seems like another lifetime when i started it haha!
> 
> anyways, i hope you enjoyed this chapter & i hope the ending was at least a little bit of a surprise ha! im giving you guys a fair warning, things are going to happen rather quickly in the next few chapters and i hope it will be exciting. i do kinda wanna write an epilogue as well, but im not sure yet how im gonna do this all, so it's gonna be a surprise for all of us! and stupidly enough im probably going to be away when one of the last chapters would be going up in december but its all going to work out, i promise!
> 
> let me know what you think & thank you so much for all the love and support, i really appreciate it more than you guys would ever know! writing is one of the few things that i genuinely enjoy and i dont think id still be doing it if there werent still people reading & commenting & waiting for updates, so thank you! <3


	26. Chapter 26

Liam barely had two seconds to take a breath before Niall was already there wrapping his arms around him, not too tightly or anything and the older boy had to admit that he had never felt this relieved immediately after a fight. He knew everyone was watching them but it didn’t matter anymore, there was nothing more anybody could have done to make this situation worse. Well, except Liam’s boss, but Liam hadn’t even seen him anywhere today.

“Are you done?” Niall asked quietly after they had stepped a bit away from the center of the room, two of the other guys getting ready to fight as Liam nodded. “So can we leave?”

“Yeah, let’s go home.” Liam agreed, trying an exhausted smile for his boyfriend when Niall stroked some hair out of his forehead, letting his fingers brush down the side of Liam’s face, which had gone unbruised today. “Did anybody talk to you?”

“I’ll tell you in the car.” This didn’t sound very motivating, but Niall immediately intertwined his fingers with Liam’s as they made their way to the exit, holding onto the older’s hand with both of his and even though it hurt just a little bit, Liam squeezed back tightly.

They saw Zayn on their way out, but he didn’t look in their direction and neither of them felt the need to make themselves noticed, so they simply left. A few guys were patting Liam’s shoulder and back as they passed, congratulating him and whatnot and Liam half heartedly thanked them, well aware that they only wanted to stare at Niall for a little longer. 

“Should we go somewhere? Are you hurt?” Niall was watching Liam closely as they got into his car a few minutes later, the younger boy in the driver’s side of course and Liam couldn’t help thinking how much he appreciated all this. Like, Niall doing all this for him because he loved him, just taking it all and living with it because he knew Liam had no choice and no way out. He was just always there for him giving him his full support and Liam was probably the luckiest person in the entire universe. 

“No, I’m fine. Thank you, love.” It was better now that he was sitting down, so Liam managed a real smile towards Niall this time though it faltered a bit when his phone was going off right when the younger boy handed it to him, not even having started the car yet. Usually Liam left it in the car, but now that Niall was coming along, Liam gave his stuff to him to hold in the meantime. “It’s my boss.”

Niall didn’t say anything, he just watched Liam with a weird facial expression that the older boy couldn’t really understand, but he also barely had any time to think about it because he had to answer the call before it ended.

“Yes?” Liam asked, feeling his stomach tying into knots because he was suddenly terrified of having to go back inside and do another fight or something. It was 1.30 in the morning by now and Liam really wanted to go home and just lie down and sleep. 

What his boss wanted was even worse though.

“Give me Niall.” There was no greeting, no nothing, and Liam was more than surprised of course, his eyes wandering to the younger boy, who was watching him with obvious worry.

“Why?” Maybe he should have just done it, but Liam kinda had a bad feeling about this.

“Don’t question me.” He sounded angry, which made Liam wanna give the phone to Niall even less, but he had no choice, did he?

“It’s uh… it’s for you.” Liam told the younger boy after a moment of hesitation, holding the phone towards him and somehow, Niall didn’t even look surprised, or scared, or anything at all really. He just took the phone, his expression almost annoyed if anything.

“What?” The question came off beyond rude and Liam couldn’t help but be a little afraid of how Niall was handling this, in a way he himself would have never dared to speak to this man. Then again, it seemed the younger boy knew what he was doing so Liam tried to hold onto that hope. “Yeah, I know… okay… no?.... it’s not my fault-…. Whatever. Yeah, bye.”

“What was that?” When Liam got his phone back just a minute or so later, he was more confused than ever, especially because Niall simply started the engine of the car, actually having rolled his eyes during the conversation. How was he not afraid? “What did he want?”

“Nothing, just wanted to remind me how much he wishes I didn’t exist.” What? “I briefly talked to him, during your fight and… he’s unhappy. That I’m distracting you, I mean. Not during the fight but in general.”

“And that’s why he had to call, just to say that?” Sounded fake, but who was Liam to call Niall out on it? He knew there were things the younger boy couldn’t tell him, so maybe that was one of them and he would have rather not known anything if that meant Niall was safer and if it kept the younger boy from having to lie to him. 

“He just wants to scare us, Li. Most of the things he says and does, it’s just a tactic. I mean, yes, he’s dangerous, but he’s a lot more dangerous in our heads than in real life.” Niall was talking as if he knew him way better than Liam somehow and the older boy wasn’t quite sure if he was able to follow anything at all that his boyfriend was talking about. 

“So you’re not scared of him anymore?” It seemed quite like it for some reason. 

“I am, but… “ And then Niall just shrugged, biting his lip as he threw a very brief look over at Liam because he was focusing on driving. “Everything will be fine. I have a plan.”

“Wh-“

“No, don’t ask me anything about it. I promise I’m not getting myself in any danger, okay? I’m just telling you so that you’ll feel better. And don’t worry about that call, it was truly nothing, just a scare tactic. He probably has my number figured out already from somewhere, so he could have just called me instead, right? But he called you just to get you upset and worried.” Just because he sounded kind of convincing and because Liam knew he couldn’t have asked any more questions anyways, he decided to let Niall get away with this. Didn’t mean he simply forgot about it though. “Was the fight hard? It looked like it but then you ended it so quickly.”

“It wasn’t particularly hard or easy… I shouldn’t have ended it like that, they like it better when we make a show out of it, but I knew you were watching, so I… I wanted to get it over with so we could go home.” Liam admitted, thinking that maybe that was another reason why his boss was angry at Niall for distracting Liam. Then again, Liam had done this countless times before whenever he hadn’t been feeling it that day. 

“Do you like it better when I wait in the car?” Well, about that… 

“I don’t know. I think it gets me equally nervous, to know you’re standing there with everyone else or alone in my car… I know you can take care of yourself, but that’s a lot of guys. And I don’t trust my boss, at all.” He WAS dangerous, no matter what Niall said or believed and Liam was aware of just how risky it was to bring Niall along. But at this point, having him stay at home would have been equally as dangerous probably. It’s not like the location of his house was a secret after all. “It’s really up to you what you wanna do next time.”

Niall seemed to think about it for a few moments because he didn’t answer immediately and Liam got caught up in thoughts for a little bit as well. “I hate watching you fight and getting hit, but… I think I like it better when I’m inside watching. Waiting in the car is almost worse than being at home waiting. But if it’s distracting you and-”

“It’s fine, Ni. It won’t have any consequences, I promise, not every fight is a good one. At least not in the eyes of some people.” It wasn’t only his boss of course, but actually much more the people who paid him who wanted a show and if Liam didn’t deliver then obviously his boss would be upset for causing him to lose money, but Liam doubted that that would be the case tonight. There were a lot of other fights after all, much more interesting ones. 

“Okay… then I’m gonna keep coming along to watch, I think.” He sounded rather determined and Liam just nodded when their eyes met briefly. Maybe he should have let Niall make that decision from the very beginning, the younger boy knew exactly what he wanted and what he was doing and Liam trusted him, but he had simply been wanting to protect him in the beginning. It had never really occurred to Liam that maybe he didn’t even need that much protection. “Are you hungry?”

“Now that you say it… kind of.” Liam couldn’t even remember the last time he had eaten, sometime before they had left probably, but not too close to that either because it wasn’t good doing fights on a full stomach. “But we can also just go home and sleep, it’s late, I’ll be fine.”

“I’m hungry too though.” There was a possibility Niall was lying, just to make Liam feel better about it, but the older boy had to admit that either way he was kinda happy about it. “Do you wanna go to McDonald’s?”

“Do I wanna go and have the most unhealthy food at almost 2 in the morning?” Liam asked back, jokingly of course, and Niall just let out a laugh, clearly taking it as a yes because he missed the exit that would have taken them back home. “You’re a really bad influence on me.”

“ _I’m_ a bad influence? I’m making sure you don’t starve to death. It’s not good going to bed on an empty stomach, you know.” That was true, however, Liam wasn’t so certain it wouldn’t have been better than filling it with the kinda food Niall intended. “Just wait, in a few months you’re gonna be the one begging me to buy you some cereal in the store.”

“You remember that? When we went grocery shopping together the first time, I mean?” Liam could remember it quite vividly and of course it hadn’t been that long ago, but so much had happened in the meantime and it hadn’t exactly been the most thrilling thing that had ever happened.

“’course… I skipped a class for that. Just because I wanted to spend time with you so badly.” Niall admitted and Liam was sure he saw the younger’s cheeks turning a little pink even though it was quite dark in the car. “And then you treated me like a little brother.”

“I’m sorry about that, I just wanted to be nice and for us to get along. If I had known you were into me like that, I wouldn’t have done it.” He would have still needed some time to think about what he wanted, figure out what his problem was with this whole Alpha Omega thing, but he would have spoken up sooner. Or at least in a completely different way. “I truly thought you knew I was just doing it as a joke, I mean, we’re not really that much apart in age.”

“I was just a little bit dramatic, maybe that’s why.” Niall shrugged, pulling into the parking lot now and Liam had to admit that the longer he thought about it, the more hungry he got. 

“A little?” He asked with his eyebrows pulled up, laughing when Niall huffed, trying to shove him gently after stopping the car and turning it off, but the older boy caught his arm in the movement. “C’mere.”

Though Niall had clearly been pretending to be upset, he didn’t resist at all, almost immediately leaning across their seats so that they could kiss. 

“Thank you.” Liam said it without thinking as they pulled apart, only for a moment though because Niall seemed to not think they were done, his arms wrapping around Liam’s neck even despite the position they were in, but it worked somehow. 

“For what?” Their faces were impossibly close, lips still almost brushing and Liam only momentarily blinked his eyes open before kissing his boyfriend yet again. It was probably past 2 in the morning by now but suddenly he didn’t feel all too exhausted anymore. 

“For being the best.” It was true, he really and genuinely was and Liam didn’t think that he even realized it. 

Niall didn’t answer immediately, he pressed his lips against Liam’s a few more times and when he eventually did lean back, letting his arms slip a little so they could look at each other properly, his face didn’t seem as happy as the older boy would have liked. “I’m not.”

“Why are you saying that?” Liam hadn’t thought that Niall would just take it like that, but he didn’t sound like he usually did whenever Liam said stuff like that, he didn’t even blush, which was very unlike him. 

“Because it’s true. I mean… I’m trying, but… I’m not sure if I always make the right decisions.” He was playing with Liam’s hair while talking, staring at his lips instead of into his eyes and it was killing Liam to hear him talking like that, with this voice.

“Nobody does.” He certainly didn’t, but they all already knew that. “You’re still trying your best, always, and you’re supporting me with anything at all even though I don’t deserve it because of everything I’ve put you through. And yet you’re still here, so thank you.”

“I’ll always be here, you know that. And you’re not putting me through anything, I knew all of this from the start, so we’re in this together and of course I’m supporting you, you’re my boyfriend and I love you more than anything.” For once, Niall truly wasn’t at all red when he said it, even while looking at Liam, and the older boy felt his heart swelling, his own skin suddenly feeling a little hot. “That was really sappy, huh?”

“I liked it.” Liam told him with a quiet laugh, the fondness spreading in his body almost taking over his entire thinking though. Fuck, he was so damn lucky. “I love you too. More than anything.”

“I know.” Niall joked, but he finally smiled again before kissing the older boy, a little bit longer this time, his tongue slipping into the older’s mouth after Liam had decided to just screw it and relax his jaw. Suddenly he was in no hurry anymore to get back home. 

They did end up getting McDonald’s, but a little later than planned, which was fine though because now it truly didn’t matter anymore when they’d get into bed. They ate in the car despite the fact that Niall felt bad at first for potentially putting it in danger of getting dirty, but Liam reassured him that he truly did not care. 

When they did finally make it home and into bed, it was probably 3.30 in the morning or something, which wasn’t all too convenient because it was a Tuesday night and all, but they’d probably survive it. They didn’t really have a choice, especially because it hadn’t been the last time that Liam had had to fight.

 

\---------------

 

“Seriously? At uni?” Louis’ voice was only an annoying background noise to Niall, he didn’t even open his eyes or attempt to pull away from Liam, keeping his arms locked tightly around the older’s neck and his legs on either side of his hips to make sure he wouldn’t stop kissing him. Even if they were in the very middle of the hallway. “Did you finally bond or what?”

“Louis?! Shhh.” It was Harry who shushed him down immediately, for which Niall was really grateful, because now he really had to stop snogging Liam after his friend ruining the mood like that. He had done it on pure purpose, no doubt.

“I’d really appreciate if you wouldn’t shout that around the hallways.” Liam told him, obviously trying to be serious here but still half smiling when Niall just continued to kiss his cheek and jaw as he turned his head to look at Louis. 

“I can promise you, no one will notice you’re not if you keep on behaving like that. It’s gross as hell. And you’ve got a bit of slobber there on your shirt.” Louis had sat down on the windowsill next to Niall with no care, as usual.

“Can you leave? We were kinda-“

“ _Kinda?_ ” Okay, that was a fair point, however, Niall was still annoyed. He didn’t know what it was today, maybe he was finally going into heat or something, but he just couldn’t fucking get enough of Liam since this morning, after they had overslept two alarms because of last night. Even separating from him for a single class almost seemed unbearable to Niall at this point and he thought about just asking the older boy to go home even though it was like 9 in the morning. “Remember when you wanted to keep it all a secret? Those were good times.”

“Lou, I think you already brought your point across, babe.” Harry threw in, not looking up from his notes though. Whenever Niall saw him, he was always studying in one way or another lately and it only made him feel worse for literally not even having started. Finals were so close that Niall almost felt like there wasn’t even a bloody point anymore, maybe he should have just realized that he’d have to add another semester or three to his studies and live with it. 

“You did. And I don’t care.” Niall confirmed, still keeping Liam so close to him that he could lean his cheek against the older boy’s but somehow it wasn’t enough for him. He wanted to be closer to Liam, have his hands on his skin rather than just underneath his jacket and fuck, he was probably truly going into heat even despite the fact that Liam had told him he couldn’t smell anything at all. 

“I’m just being a good friend, I mean, there’s a lot of other people running around here who probably feel the same way I do. Remember when me and Harry started dating and then you would roll your eyes whenever we did as much as touch for a second?” Wait…

“That’s not even true, stop making shit up, Tommo.” Also, Niall wasn’t really too happy about being reminded of that time, them excluding him and all that, even though it had brought him a lot closer to Liam in the end. He had still felt lonely for a while and it hadn’t been a nice feeling at all. “Are you really just gonna sit here now?”

“What’s it look like, Nialler?” He was clearly having too much fun with it and Niall pulled away from Liam for a moment just to glare at him playfully when he laughed, quickly calming the younger boy down again though by kissing his cheek a few times, his fingers curling into Niall’s shirt underneath his jacket. “Anything new with any of your many problems?”

“You’re the worst friend ever.” It was a joke, but also, Niall hated Louis for almost making him wanna laugh as well. It was true, all this was getting a bit much to Niall but whenever he talked about any of it with Louis, it almost felt as if just maybe he was over reacting a little bit. As if it wasn’t all just that terribly bad or hopeless. “And no, there’s nothing new.”

Except there was, but Niall couldn’t have told Louis that obviously. He had already told him that he had an uncle, but only because Liam had been there as well yesterday when they had talked and he would have found it probably really suspicious had Niall not still been super surprised by it. The thing with Zayn though… Niall wasn’t quite sure how to handle that yet.

It made a ton of sense, that Zayn was his cousin, and Niall was also pretty damn sure that Zayn knew it as well but had simply chosen to keep it a secret from him. The special treatment he seemed to receive from Niall’s uncle was just another indicator, and it made Niall wanna trust the other boy even less. Then again… if that was his father, then Zayn was maybe even more trapped in all of this than any of the other guys, than Liam, because… it was his bloody dad who was making him do the fights, who was basically employing him and everything. 

Last night though, after they had gotten into the car and Niall’s uncle had called Liam, he had told him to keep his mouth shut yet again, still having sounded caught off guard though, a little too angry, as if he didn’t have himself under control because he hadn’t thought Niall would figure it out. He had to use that to his advantage before his uncle would take it out on him, or even worse, on Liam. 

“So you’ve got lots of free time then?” Oh god, please not another double date. “Because I was thinking… or actually, Harry was the one who brought it up, I feel like we should make like a study group or something. So we can be a bit more motivated.”

“Since when do you actually study?” Niall was genuinely confused for a moment, because that surely did not sound like Louis.

“I’m not. But I thought maybe I should try it sometime.” The other boy joked and Niall rolled his eyes, feeling a bit conflicted on the inside though.

“I don’t know, um… we all study something different though. Except me and Harry. We wouldn’t be much of a help to each other, we’d just get distracted and then it’d only be Harry studying like always.” And not Liam, because he was just too smart, he basically read through his notes once and then retained all the information somehow. 

“We could try it though, I mean, not like we got anything to lose, right? I know you haven’t even started with anything yet.” True. “And neither have I and I’m slowly starting to feel the pressure.”

“At least you’re not already a whole year behind… but fine, maybe we could try it. If you leave right now.” Niall added the last part very quickly after seeing a smile spreading across Louis’ face that was a bit too happy and excited for his taste.

“Fine, then have fun making out in public for a bit longer, but don’t say I haven’t warned you if somebody punches you.” Louis then hopped off of the window sill and they all briefly said bye to one another before the other two left and Niall could finally go back to looking at Liam and starting to kiss him again.

“Are you okay?” Liam seemed worried for some reason, which probably had something to do with the fact that Niall hadn’t let him breathe for the past 10 minutes and had only done so just now because Louis had so rudely interrupted them.

“Yeah… why?” Niall was still placing kisses on Liam’s skin between his words, pushing the thought of having to go to class in a few minutes into the very back of his mind. Where it would hopefully stay. 

“Because you’re so cuddly today.” It did look like he was enjoying it though so Niall just shrugged, playing with the collar of Liam’s shirt, having to lean his head back a bit so he could properly look up at the older boy. 

“Maybe I’m going into heat. Or maybe I just woke up thinking about how much I love you.” Niall said it mostly to make Liam smile and it did have the wanted effect, but he also still seemed a little freaked out. “I’m fine, Li. Promise.”

“You’re not going into heat though, I’d smell it… “ He told the younger boy for probably the tenth time today, allowing him to kiss him again though. “I just don’t want you to be stressed out or anything. I know there’s a lot going on, but if there’s anything I can do… I can study with you if you want. Or talk to Louis if you don’t wanna do that study group thing or… we could skip uni and do something else.”

“Hmm, like what?” The last part was the only one that made Niall listen up because if he was being honest, he was already so far behind with uni work, there was no way he’d be able to catch up on it just from being here on this one day. Then again, if he kept that attitude up then this semester would really end in a complete disaster. 

“Don’t know, whatever you want.” Niall was aware that Liam must have been scared he’d go into heat in the middle of class or something and that that was maybe why he was suggesting they just skipped and drove somewhere, but he didn’t care about the why right now because he really wanted to get out of here as well. “We could just drive somewhere and go for a walk or something or we could go eat even though it’s like morning but I don’t care. We can also go back home.”

“I don’t wanna go back home, we’re always home lately… can we just drive somewhere?” No matter where, Niall just suddenly realized that he really wanted to get out of this city for a little bit. Everything he saw all day reminded him of just how complicated everything was and how any second something could have happened that would have made all of this even worse than it already was. 

“’course we can, love.” Liam sounded almost happy that Niall had chosen that option and maybe he wanted to get away from here really desperately as well.

“And never come back?” Niall added after a moment, but he made it sound like a joke though it actually truly hadn’t been one. How nice would it have been had they just left all of this bullshit behind? If they had just run away? But they both knew that that wasn’t possible. 

“I wish.” Liam told him, pecking the younger’s lips again before letting his arms slip and Niall did the same but only so he could hop down from the window sill before reaching out for Liam’s hand, not complaining today when the older boy carried both their backpacks. 

Maybe it was stupid, to do this and pretend that everything was alright, but what else should they have done to at least make this one day slightly better? Also, for now Niall still felt like maybe he had the upper hand, because he had figured this thing out with Zayn and though he wasn’t sure just yet what exactly he was gonna do with it and whether it would have consequences, it certainly wasn’t a disadvantage to know about it.

 

\---------------------

 

“Is this where you brought all of your past relationships as well?” Niall was only joking although he enjoyed seeing Liam’s face change quite a bit. They had never really talked about their past relationships, now that Niall really thought about it, but he doubted that there would have been much to say anyways. 

“It’s not that special.” Liam told him, probably before realizing how this sounded but the younger boy was already laughing when he tried to talk himself out of it. “Not that I brought them anywhere else that was more special. I just mean- oh, stop laughing, you know what I meant.”

“I’m really not sure I do, Li. But don’t worry, I don’t actually care, I just wanted to get away from uni.” And from their house and the whole city, so Liam driving them out here, basically into the middle of nowhere, was already making Niall feel a lot better even before they had gotten out of the car. “Are you gonna leave me when I’m getting kicked out of uni in ten years because I still haven’t graduated by then?”

“I think they’d kick you out sooner than that if you fail too many classes.” Very motivating. “But I wouldn’t leave you.”

“Thank you. I don’t know if that’s making me feel better now or not.” Niall laughed though because they were only fooling around anyways, something they hadn’t done a lot lately. “Maybe we should just stay here in the car, it’s cold.” 

“C’mon, a bit of walking will make you feel better. You can wear my sweater if you want.” Liam was always feeling hot, probably also because he was an Alpha, so Niall didn’t feel too bad about taking up the offer because he knew his boyfriend wouldn’t freeze to death anyways.

Liam had just driven them out of the city for a while and Niall hadn’t asked where they were going because he didn’t actually care. So apparently they were going on a walk, somewhere by the woods, that Liam had known since he was a child, which was a relief because Niall’s last trip into the nature hadn’t quite ended so well and he still felt as if they had been lucky that Harry had even found the way back. Seemingly by accident.

“You know where we’re going, right?” Niall still wanted to be sure somehow, he trusted Liam and he actually didn’t care if they got lost, but still. 

“I told you, I’ve been here a million times before and it hasn’t changed. I wouldn’t dare getting lost with you in nature, don’t worry.” Liam laughed, squeezing Niall’s hand when the younger boy playfully glared at him. “You’d probably start eating rotten pine cones or something.” 

“I was really thirsty when I drank that stupid water, okay? I was in heat and Louis was going to drink it too. Who could have known you’re not supposed to do that? It looked good to me.” Niall got defensive immediately because even though he actually didn’t have too many bad memories to that day, he also didn’t wanna think about his own stupidity anymore. 

“Don’t worry, I’m not letting you touch anything around here anyways.” The older boy was still amused and Niall let him be just because he liked seeing Liam happy and giggly. It was rare, that they were really all alone by themselves and not holed up in Liam’s room, so this walk was actually really nice even though it had literally just started.

The nature around them wasn’t too impressive, it was just a normal path for going on walks, so they mostly just talked to each other, about anything at all except for the problems at hand. There was no way to solve them right now anyways and the whole point of even driving out here had been to get away from everything and distract themselves after all. So it was actually quite relaxing to pretend as if everything was just fine, as if they weren’t skipping uni to go on a walk in the woods at 10 in the morning right before exam week. 

Louis did text Niall asking if he was stupid when the younger boy told him he wasn’t at uni anymore so they couldn’t eat lunch together and honestly… maybe he was? But it was too late now and NIall surely didn’t wanna go back. 

“Do you actually own a suit?” Liam was kinda asking randomly when they decided to take a break and sit on some bench, no sound around them except for some birds maybe and a few cars that sounded really far away though.

“Why? D’you wanna marry me?” Niall wouldn’t have minded if he was being honest, he would have probably said yes at this point. 

“One day, yeah.” The older boy told him, getting Niall even more confused before he continued. “But I meant for our parents’ wedding. I mean, it’s not even that far away anymore because they keep rushing things so much and I keep forgetting about it as well so I thought I’d remind you.”

“Oh. No, I don’t. Do you?” Probably, Niall had looked into Liam’s closet often enough, had also messed it up quite a bit just pulling stuff out to wear without asking, but now he truly couldn’t remember anymore. 

“I do, but I’m not sure if it still fits, I haven’t worn it in ages.” Hopefully not, then they could go buy one together. 

“Because you’ve built so much muscle since then?” It was a joke, but also, it was probably the truth because Liam just shrugged and Niall bit the inside of his cheek so he wouldn’t laugh at him for taking the question so serious. “My mom’s probably gonna make us wear some super special suit though so you’re gonna need a new one anyways. God, I hope she doesn’t ask me to go and look at wedding dresses with her.”

“Why? It could be fun.” Liam actually sounded serious about this for some reason.

“Good, then you can go with her if you want, I’ll let her know.” Niall half expected Liam to protest, but he didn’t at all look as if he would have minded and the younger boy couldn’t help but stare at him a little longer than planned, just thinking about how fucking sweet and caring he was. He truly didn’t deserve anything his boss was putting him through, no one did, but he was the very last person to. “Liam?”

“Hm?” The older boy turned his head upon Niall saying his name, just having stared off into the distance somewhere and Niall didn’t even think before closing the tiny gap between them to kiss him without warning, clearly taking Liam off guard but it only took him like a second to return the kiss.

This was much better than just snogging at uni with other people walking past the whole entire time, although Niall had managed to shut them out until Louis and Harry had come over, but it was still nice to know that they were all alone here, no risk of anybody walking past because of how early it was, on a week day. 

The thing was though, even while kissing Liam like this and being distracted by his soft lips and the way he tasted so fucking good it made Niall’s head spin, he still somehow couldn’t manage to turn off his brain. It was like a constant circle of thoughts and worries that were always there, that made it really hard to sleep lately or concentrate on anything at all, even when Liam was there with him. And whenever they were alone and especially when they were making out or doing something like this then Niall suddenly got the urge to tell Liam absolutely everything because he was stupid as hell and had no self control. 

So when they pulled apart for just a moment to catch some air and Niall kept Liam’s face close to his with a hand in the nape of his neck, not even opening his eyes but just breathing the older boy in, he apparently lost the last bit of sense he had still had inside him. “Maybe… “

“Maybe?” Liam asked when Niall didn’t continue, half whispering and clearly not at all expecting what the younger boy was about to say.

“Maybe you should bite me.” Niall just blurted out with it, he had been thinking about it ever since Zayn had come to the cinema and told him he wasn’t sure if it was smart, but now that Niall knew who Zayn was and now that he knew how Liam saw this whole thing, that he wanted to… “Right now.”

“What?” As expected, Liam immediately pulled back a bit and Niall blinked his eyes open, keeping his arm around Liam though. “You want me to bite you right now in the middle of the woods?”

“I think I do, yeah.” Did it really matter where they did it? Or when? There were no rules for that as far as Niall was aware and he knew that he loved Liam with his entire heart, he knew they were soulmates and that they were just waiting for no reason really. They both wanted to, so why were they not doing it? “I love you and I know we belong together, so why are we waiting?”

“I… “ Liam started, probably thinking about all the reasons that spoke against them doing this right now. “We have no tissues. And I don’t know… I don’t know how it works.”

“What do you mean?” Niall almost wanted to laugh, he would have, had Liam not suddenly sounded a little helpless admitting it, as if he somehow had to know just because he was an Alpha or something.

“Like… like I don’t know how deep it has to be and… I don’t know if I can just hurt you. I would have researched it beforehand.” He sounded very serious about this and the way he seemed so worried about Niall’s well being and so concerned with it all only gave Niall another rush of fondness for him. They should have done this ages ago, whenever they had been in a 100% better situation than right now, but they had been scared and unsure and now it had all gotten messy. “Also… are you sure we should do it? Because of my boss and-“

“He already thinks we’re bonded, so fuck him. It’s not about him, it’s about us, and I’ve been thinking about it and I really want you to and I know you do as well and… let’s just do it. I don’t care if you’re hurting me, I can take it.” Well, Niall was aware that usually this didn’t happen like that, but it was cold and he surely wouldn’t undress right now just so they could have sex in the middle of the woods and he’d be distracted. “But we don’t have to if you changed your mind or if you’re unsure.”

“I’m not.” Liam old him without hesitation, reaching behind him to take Niall’s hand in his that had still been cupping the back of his neck, bringing it to his lips instead so he could kiss the back of it. There was a glowing in his eyes now that gave Niall hope. “Maybe we should go back to the car.”

“Why?” Niall wasn’t sure if he wanted to, like, they had been walking at least for an hour or more by now and they also had no tissues back there, so… 

“Just… I don’t know. Maybe we shouldn’t rush it like that, and if we still want to when we get back then… “ Then what?

“I know I want to, I won’t change my mind.” But also, Niall realized all of a sudden that this was not at all something Liam would do, so maybe that was where his worries were coming from now. “Did you… did you have a plan? Like, how’d you wanna do it instead?”

“Not really, no. I’ve thought about it multiple times but I never really had a plan…. I always just thought it’d happen while we were sleeping together or something… something romantic. I don’t know, I know you don’t care about that.” Oh.

“Li, of course I care.” Now Niall felt bad, he didn’t wanna ruin Liam’s fantasy of it or anything, he had just suddenly felt that they should do this, right here and right now. “We can do it however you want, okay? It doesn’t have to be now.”

“No, but I want to, I’ve wanted to for a while and I don’t have a plan or whatever, it’s not like that, you just caught me a bit off guard is all. And I don’t wanna hurt you.” He slowly let go of the younger’s hand to reach out and cup his cheek instead, his skin feeling warm against Niall’s, thumb brushing along his cheekbone slowly, as if he was deep in thoughts. “We can do it right now, I want to.”

“Are you sure?” Now Niall wasn’t sure anymore, he only knew what HE wanted but he didn’t wanna do it if Liam had worries. “I only want to if you’re 100% sure.”

“I am, I’ve been for a while… you know we can’t make it undone, right? Like, after I bite you, that’s it. I mean, potentially it’s possible to break a bond, but… it’s forever sort of.” Hearing Liam say it like that only made Niall want it even more if he was being honest with himself. 

“You and me forever? I’m good with that.” Niall told him because it was the truth, but it made Liam smile. “We’re soulmates, there’s no point in waiting and I want you, in every way possible.”

Liam nodded briefly, staring right into Niall’s soul or that’s what it felt like at least, and when he leaned in to kiss Niall again, the younger boy didn’t feel as impatient anymore because he knew they’d do it so the pressure was gone, they suddenly had all the time in the world.

“Okay.” The older boy mumbled when they pulled apart and Niall felt his heart speeding up as he licked his lips, trying to contain his excitement but also his fear. “We can’t do it on your neck be-“

“I know, then everyone would know we lied.” Niall threw in, but it didn’t seem to be what Liam had been talking about.

“No, because I’m scared I’m gonna make you bleed too much and seriously hurt you. Or that you’ll get an infection or something.” Liam was talking about it as if they were the first people who had ever bonded in history, and it somehow made Niall wanna laugh but it also made him wanna cry because he was so overwhelmed with how much he loved this boy. “You can decide, it’s your body.”

“Do my shoulder.” Yes, Niall had definitely thought about it before, and his shoulder did seem to be the perfect place because he knew for a fact that it had been covered up whenever he had been at uni or met with his uncle or father. It would probably hurt for a bit, but he’d be fine. “Wait… “

So Niall took off Liam’s sweater with a bit of trouble, the older boy attempting to help but only making it worse because they were clearly both a little nervous. Or maybe that was the wrong word, but Niall really had no idea how else to describe whatever he was feeling right now, he knew he wanted this though, more than anything.

“Okay… “ After Niall had finally managed to free his shoulder while still having his jacket on and only pushing it down a bit so he wouldn’t freeze to death, he could really feel his nerves kicking in looking at Liam again. “I’m ready.”

This time, Liam didn’t ask him if he was sure again, probably because they both knew the answer anyways. The older’s face was a little flushed and when he leaned down, Niall almost thought he was going a bit fast, his heart speeding up even more because he hadn’t prepared himself at all, like mentally, but Liam only ended up kissing his exposed skin before looking at Niall again.

“Are you okay?” It wouldn’t have been like him to just bite Niall without any warning, the younger boy suddenly felt stupid for having thought that for a second. 

“Yeah, I trust you. Just do it, it’s fine, I don’t care if it hurts.” It was supposed to hurt after all, although Niall felt such an adrenaline rush, he wasn’t even sure if he’d feel it all that much. “You’re not grossed out by blood, right?”

“I’m not. I do feel like a vampire or something, this is so weird.” Liam let out a laugh, a rather nervous sounding one though and Niall knew how he felt because he felt quite the same. “You can tell me to stop and I will, it doesn’t matter.”

“I know… just do it quick and stop as soon as you draw blood, okay?” Or at least that’s what Niall thought it’d work like, like he technically knew how it worked and he had learned it all in school and stuff, but he had never truly thought anybody would bite him. Mostly because he had gone pretty much all his life thinking he was a Beta though, so there was that. “I’ll be fine, don’t worry about me.”

“Okay… I love you.” Liam told him, in the most sincere voice, as if they were saying goodbye to one another or something.

“I love you too.” Niall reached out for Liam’s hand, just to have something to hold onto and to squeeze, leaving Liam to hold his clothing out of the way with his free hand instead so that he could grip his own knee, just to be sure, if it hurt really bad.

Obviously Liam didn’t just go for it, he would have never. He kissed Niall’s cheek again, and then down his neck until he reached his shoulder again and Niall felt his belly growing hot, suddenly thinking that maybe they should have gone to the car after all because suddenly he was definitely in the mood to take it further. 

He didn’t say anything though, he just waited, for his breathing to be calmer again and for Liam to internalize what he was about to do because he was the one doing all the work after all. And Niall wasn’t sure if he could have bitten Liam that hard, until he’d draw blood, but it was also easier for Liam to actually do it because he was meant to do it. Especially because they were soulmates, they just had to be, there was no worry left inside of Niall’s mind about that. 

So when Liam told him to take a few deep breaths and that he would do it on the count of three, Niall did feel his nerves acting up again and though he would have never told Liam not to do it or that he was scared, he WAS definitely a little bit scared. Especially those few seconds right before, he couldn’t ever remember feeling this nervous but excited and happy at the very same time. It was odd really, and now he understood why most people did it while they were…. In the middle of the act. 

Liam didn’t do it gently, luckily, he didn’t just test it out at first, for which Niall was as grateful as for the fact that he did it before he actually got to saying three. It did hurt, of course it did, but it was a really weird kinda pain, dull almost, and Niall felt a little bit dizzy. Somehow, it felt as if it lasted longer than it actually did and he barely even noticed that Liam had really broken his skin until he felt his hand pressing over the spot instead of his mouth, trying to stop the bleeding. 

“Niall? Are you okay?” He sounded really worried when Niall didn’t answer immediately, having to actually take a few deep breaths, because though he couldn’t exactly put his finger on what it was, he somehow felt… different. “I’m sorry if it hurt, I was just trying to do it as quickly and fast as possible.”

“No, no, it’s… it’s not that. It didn’t hurt that much and it already stopped hurting… you got blood on your lips.” Niall finally realized after he had already been looking at Liam for a few seconds, reaching out with his free hand to wipe it away with his thumb, keeping it there for a little longer than necessary. “I can’t believe we just did that.”

“Me neither… it was easier than I thought.” It had felt like it too and Niall still felt a bit as if he was in disbelief and so did Liam judging from the way that he was looking at the younger boy. “I’m just glad you’re okay, I was afraid I bit you too hard.”

“I’m completely fine, Li, don’t worry.” Truly, Niall felt just fine, the wound wasn’t even burning or anything despite the fact that Liam had his palm pressed over it. “Do you feel different?”

“Kinda… I don’t know how to describe it… do you?” Liam was now slowly lifting his hand, probably to check on whether the bleeding had stopped and he seemed dissatisfied with it because he immediately went back to covering it again without Niall even taking a single look. He didn’t care, he wasn’t going to bleed out or anything, it was all good. Perfect, actually.

“Yeah, I do. But I can’t describe it either, but… it’s not a bad feeling at all. Like… I’m just really glad we did it, it feels… right.” More than that somehow, especially whenever Niall was looking at Liam, he suddenly didn’t even know anymore why they had ever wanted to wait with this. Like, yeah, they had waited because they hadn’t wanted to rush things and stuff, but even if they had done this in the most romantic setting, Niall couldn’t imagine that it would have been any better than this. It seemed there was no point in waiting for the right time now because every time would have been the right one. 

“It does.” The older boy agreed, his smile warming Niall’s heart even more. “I just still regret we don’t have any tissues.”

“Maybe a leaf-“

“No! Niall, seriously?!” Liam let out a nervous laugh after the shock had passed and Niall was a little embarrassed to admit that he hadn’t been joking in any way. “We should go back to the car, I might have something in it we could use to soak it up… it’s bleeding quite a bit, I shouldn’t have done it so hard.”

“No, you should have done it exactly like you did it. I don’t even feel it, it’s more like a pinch.” Maybe a bit more than that, but Liam didn’t have to know that and somehow Niall was enjoying it, even if that sounded slightly crazy maybe. But wasn’t he supposed to enjoy this anyways? It was a natural thing after all, something they had been supposed to do and now Niall understood why. 

Suddenly, he understood everything.

 

\----------------------------

 

“What do you want now, Horan? There’s nothing new.” Zayn sounded annoyed, but he had still shown up so that was everything Niall could have asked for really. They were at the cinema again, but in the back room this time because it was a Friday and Niall had thought it was better they meet up during his break because it was quite busy. Liam was at a fight, yet again, but at least it was one of the last ones before he’d hopefully get a bit of a break. Or not, depending on how upset Niall’s uncle still was, but they hadn’t talked anymore since then. “Also, what is this room? Looks like an abandoned bathroom with a couch they found somewhere on a dumpster.”

“It’s a small cinema and an old building, you don’t have to sit down.” Niall rolled his eyes, kinda hating that they always had to meet up in secret like this, but it felt a lot safer than talking on the phone or texting or meeting on that playground again. And Niall needed to talk to him, even though he knew he shouldn’t have, that he actually wasn’t even allowed to. But he had to. 

“So what do you want? Did anything major happen or what? Liam’s fighting right now, isn’t he?” Not exactly something Niall wanted to talk about, so he just nodded instead, knowing that Zayn knew it anyways so why was he even asking? 

“Nothing happened, I just thought we could have a chat.” Or more, Niall needed to know what Zayn knew or didn’t know before he said anything. 

“You made me come here just to chat? Jesus, I thought you had other friends… what about these two guys you always hang around with?” The fact that he stayed even despite the fact that he thought Niall was just feeling bored was something Niall noted in the back of his head. Or maybe Zayn just didn’t have any friends either. 

“They are my friends, but I thought we could talk about Liam and everything instead. I can’t talk about it with anybody else and it’s slowly driving me insane. I know I’m just supposed to wait it all out…but I don’t know if I can.” Niall was over exaggerating on purpose, he just needed Zayn to think he was helpless and desperate, that was all. “Even right now I almost feel like I’m gonna throw up from how scared I am that something could happen to Liam, like, anything could be going on and I wouldn’t even know. And who’d tell me? My uncle? Probably not.”

“Liam’s winning every fight, I don’t think you have a reason to be scared right now. I think his punishment is almost over.” He THOUGHT. 

“Is yours?” Niall just decided to ask, trying to make it sound neutral, as if he genuinely believed Zayn was getting punished for anything at all.

The older boy just shrugged, clearly not wanting to talk about it so Niall pretended that he hadn’t even cared that much to begin with. “Look, I’m sorry if you’re feeling bad and everything and I can really understand it, but there’s nothing I can do to help right now. I promise as soon as there’s a possibility then I’m going to let you know, for now we can really just wait, Liam’s smart and your uncle wouldn’t ever want him to get genuinely hurt anyways. And when the time comes and you tell Liam everything then I’m sure he won’t be mad at you, he’s gonna understand. I know he will.”

”He could still get hurt, like, any day. Even right now.” He wasn’t and Niall knew it. 

“I’m sure he’s only fighting much later… maybe even after your shift is over. I can try to find out.” All of a sudden Zayn was being really helpful, almost as if he felt bad for Niall or something and it threw Niall slightly off track. He had a real hard time trying to figure out whose side Zayn was actually on, even after finding out what he had found out. 

“No, don’t, it’d only be suspicious … or does my uncle trust you with stuff like that and doesn’t ask any questions? Because he’d know you’re just asking for me and then he’d freak out again.” But what was new, right?

“I don’t think he’d care, but I don’t have to ask if you don’t want me to.” Zayn shrugged, playing with his phone in his hands and Niall wondered whether he would have really done it. Probably, seeing as he had already offered it and everything, but it would have only gotten them into even more trouble than they were already in to begin with. “I’m sure Liam’s gonna be just fine, he always is.”

“I guess so.” Niall shrugged, biting his bottom lip before checking the time on his phone. His arm was aching a bit ever since Liam had bitten him two days ago, but it was just another reminder that they were bonded and Niall didn’t mind that at all. So much had changed since then, he almost felt like a new person or something, as if everything had just gotten so much clearer all of a sudden, especially regarding their relationship and… they should have bonded sooner, it only made sense. 

And there was no doubt left that they were indeed soulmates. 

“So you don’t want me to call then?” Zayn asked one more time and the younger boy briefly shook his head, trying to think of a way to bring the conversation to where he wanted it to be without being too suspicious. Then again, why did it even matter?

“Actually, I was gonna tell you about something.” Niall started, not feeling nervous about it but rather curious instead to hear the answer. “I talked to my uncle the other day… while Liam was fighting.”

“Okay? What did he say?” Now Zayn was clearly more interested, but Niall had already expected that.

“Well, he said I needed to practice how I’m gonna act once my dad introduces us for real and stuff, so he won’t notice anything.” Niall explained, as if it was all normal for them to talk about this and Zayn nodded along. “And then he said I should bring my mother as well, as a joke and I said well, if we’re making it a family reunion then we should invite everybody else also.”

“What do you mean?” The thing was, Zayn sounded genuinely confused, as if he had no idea, and just for a moment, Niall actually thought maybe he had no idea. But how would that have been possible?

So he was unsure for a moment on how to continue, just staring at Zayn, studying his face and trying to figure out whether he was just a really good actor or clueless. And then he just dropped the bomb because why the hell not? “I know it. I know he’s your dad and that you’re my cousin and that you kept it from me because you thought I wouldn’t ever trust you otherwise. And because nobody else knows.”

“I… wait, what?” One second…

“He’s your dad, your boss. He already confirmed it to me, you don’t have to lie to my face now.” Oh shit, had he genuinely not known?!

It were a few incredibly awkward moments, them just staring at one another, Zayn’s mouth simply dropped and Niall suddenly unsure of whether he had made the right decision or not. His uncle had told him not to tell anybody, but he hadn’t mentioned Zayn specifically but… maybe he had just not wanted Niall to know that Zayn didn’t know?

“I have no idea why he would have said that to you, but… he’s not like, my real dad. I mean, I… I’m adopted.” Zayn finally broke the silence after a while, but while they were still looking at one another, it was kinda obvious that neither of them was sure anymore what was actually going on. “Niall, no matter what’s true or not, you… you didn’t tell anybody, right? Nobody knows and if anybody finds out he’d murder you. You and Liam both.” 

“He told me to keep my mouth shut… I didn’t know that that probably included you, I… but even if he wasn’t your real father and he adopted you then you still knew about it and you kept it a secret from me and all the other guys. From Liam.” And it was obvious why. “I don’t think you’re adopted, I think he just told you that.”

“I really don’t know, but no one can find out either way. Seriously, Niall, he can’t know we ever talked about this, if he found out… I couldn’t have told anybody even if I had wanted to, he told me not to and obviously I’m not gonna go off and tell people and risk my bloody life. You know him, you know what it’s like when he threatens you.” That was true, but Niall didn’t wanna feel sorry for Zayn now, also because he truly didn’t know if he could trust him still. “I can’t believe you figured it out and just said it to his face… why did y- Niall?”

Zayn stopped when Niall put a hand in front of his mouth after standing up too quickly because his break was almost over, probably having done it a bit too fast because his stomach had turned in the process. For a second, Niall thought he’d be fine again in just a moment, but then he breathed in and his nose filled with the smell of popcorn and next thing he knew, he was next door puking his guts out in the first bathroom stall. 

When Niall was done, weakly flushing the toilet, he could barely even grasp a clear thought, but what Zayn said behind him kinda made him wanna throw up some more. “Fuck… please don’t tell me Liam got you knocked up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi!
> 
> im so sorry this is a little late, i was out and i didnt really think about the time id be back home before i left! i hope you enjoyed this chapter, let me know what youre thinking if you want & thank you all so much yet again for so much support on the last chapter <3
> 
> have a great weekend!!


	27. Chapter 27

“He… he didn’t.“ Niall half choked out, his mouth tasting foul and his body feeling weak. He couldn’t be pregnant, could he? He was on this pill and anyways… he’d know if he was, and Liam would have known and… how would it have happened? His heat WAS overdue but that was really the only indicator and it surely wasn’t morning sickness because it was in the middle of the night and Niall wasn’t even _feeling_ as if he was gonna be sick, he just… one second. “Zayn, can you… can you maybe ask when Liam’s fighting after all?”

“Um, I can, but like… are you okay? I mean, what’s going on? Should I call someone, or…? I don’t know if Liam is allowed to leave just bec-“

“Fuck, just call.” The younger boy snapped, not even having gotten up off the floor yet though because he was afraid he’d have to puke again any second even though the sickness had left as quickly as it had come. Now Niall just felt kinda sore, kinda not alright and restless as hell. “Don’t say it’s because of me.”

He remained sitting there while Zayn did as he had been told, without any more complaints, but he did leave the room so Niall couldn’t understand what he was saying to his uncle. Eventually, Niall forced himself to get up and go drink from the sink, staring at his reddened eyes in the mirror when Zayn came back, telling him what he had already known anyways.

“I called one of the guys who’s there and he said Liam’s fighting right now. I didn’t say anything about you, don’t worry.” Well, as long as he hadn’t mentioned it to his uncle then Niall didn’t care, but he just nodded anyways, avoiding Zayn’s eyes in the mirror before turning around. “Niall?”

“Yeah, um… can you wait for me outside? And make sure no one sees you walking out of here?” Niall wasn’t really sure if he was in a state of making good decisions right now, but he also truly did not give a single fuck. He was pretty sure he needed to get to where Liam was, as soon as somehow possible. 

“What are y-“

“Please? I’m gonna tell the others I’m feeling sick and that I need to go home and I need you to drive me to where Liam’s fighting.” Maybe it was because Niall sounded truly desperate, because he WAS, or maybe Zayn was just taking pity on him, but he agreed without any further questions, leaving the younger boy to himself for a few seconds.

Niall didn’t waste any time, he just made sure to get changed as quickly as possible, stuffing everything into his bag and finding some gum at the very bottom of it before going to find one of his co workers so they’d know he’d leave. His boss was never here at night and Niall also couldn’t call her because it was late, so he would have to deal with that tomorrow, but it’s not like any of that mattered. Hell, had Niall gotten sacked for doing this, he would have still done it. 

“You don’t wanna go there just to tell Liam you might be pregnant, right?” Zayn really wasn’t catching on, which was a good thing though because Niall truly didn’t want him to know what was going on in his head right now, he just didn’t have the time to try and hide his panic any better. 

“I’m not pregnant.” Niall told him, already having gotten into the older’s car without waiting for him to say something. After everything, Niall felt as if he and Zayn had been keeping secrets for years or something, as if they were old friends who didn’t really agree on anything and also didn’t particularly get along very well. It was strange, but Niall was still grateful that Zayn existed, at least in this very moment. “I’d know if I was.”

“Are you sure? You just randomly threw up for like five minutes and I’ve seen you guys snogging in the hallways.” Well, there probably wasn’t a person who hadn’t seen them, but whatever, Niall couldn’t help it that he was feeling even more clingy with Liam now after they had bonded. Which was normal, of course, but nobody else knew about it except them, not even Harry and Louis for now. 

“What has that got to do with anything?” The younger boy tried to sound annoyed rather than nervous, because a part of him was still stuck thinking about being pregnant as well, like… what if he actually was? He was only 20 years old and now was literally the worst time and he wasn’t even close to graduating and he and Liam lived with their parents and… oh god. 

“Nothing, I don’t know, I just heard that if an Omega is pregnant then they need more attention or something. I’ve never been friends with a pregnant Omega before or with an Omega in general, so maybe that’s not true or-“

“Can you please stop talking about it?” Truly, there was no point in it and also, it seemed as if Zayn was paying extra attention on the streets today even though there were barely any other cars. “I’m not pregnant.”

“Fine, okay… then why do you wanna get to Liam so quickly? Are you just allowed to leave your job like that?” Well, Niall had maybe only done it once or twice before because he had genuinely gotten sick, so he didn’t think it’d have any consequences, but not like he cared. “I’m sure he’s just fine, I don’t know who he’s fighting tonight, but he’s good at what he does. I don’t think you need to be too worried.”

That was easier said than done and Niall was also busy biting his already pretty short nails so he didn’t answer, relieved that Zayn didn’t keep on pushing to get an answer out of him. He must have really thought that Niall was pregnant and a hormonal mess or something, because he didn’t usually behave like this around him, almost as if he didn’t even mind doing him a favor. 

They didn’t really continue their conversation, probably because Zayn realized that Niall was just going to ignore him anyways or just keep his answers as short as possible. It’s just, the younger boy truly couldn’t focus on anything at all anymore, he still felt kinda bad altogether, like his whole body somehow, and yet he also couldn’t stop thinking about what Zayn had said about him being knocked up and how he was adopted and then his worries about Liam and this whole situation in general.

Yeah, Niall had kinda felt as if he finally had everything under control, as if he knew what to do, especially after they had bonded and things had started to make much more sense, but he truly wasn’t so sure anymore now after what had just happened and their conversation before that.

Zayn drove them to the same place the fights were always at though Liam had told Niall that it had been coincidence that he had always only been there because they switched location quite often, for security reasons. Almost as soon as Zayn had stopped the car, Niall was already getting out, as quickly as possible but also somewhat slow, just in case he’d have the urge to puke again. Which wasn’t unlikely, at all.

“Wait, wait. You’re not just gonna storm inside like that.” The older boy grabbed onto Niall’s wrist, forcing him to stop in the middle of the underground garage. 

“Can you please not touch me?” Niall tried winding his wrist out of Zayn’s grip, anxious to go and see Liam, even if it would just be to see him fighting. He just needed to know he was okay right now. “I need t-“

“No, wait. Just one second, I-… okay, listen.” It seemed to have taken Zayn a moment to decide this and it also sounded a little spontaneous, but Niall truly didn’t care what he had to say right now, all he cared about was the fact that Zayn was still holding onto him, not allowing him to leave. “What you said before… about your uncle, my… my father. I was being serious, when I said I’m adopted. I thought I was, all my life, that’s what he told me, okay? I… if he told you something else, then… then I don’t know anything about it. I didn’t tell you I’m adopted because I knew you wouldn’t trust me afterwards and because literally nobody else knows. And Liam can’t know either. And you can’t tell your uncle we talked about it.”

“Look, I don’t know who you’re related to or not, but right now I also really don’t care and I’m not going to say anything to anyone. Please just let me go.” Niall had gone over to begging at this point because he had the worst feeling in his gut that just wouldn’t go away, in a different way than he had ever experienced before. 

“Fine, okay, but stay with me.” Zayn agreed after a moment, only slowly letting go of Niall’s wrist, as if he was afraid the younger boy would simply take off. He did think about it, but they shared a look and despite the fact that Niall had asked Zayn to come into his work today because he had been sure he couldn’t trust him anymore, it somehow felt as if the exact opposite had happened.

So they went inside together, Niall’s stomach already turning as soon as he heard the noise as usual, people yelling and screaming while watching the fights. He did stay by Zayn’s side, didn’t just run off like he wanted to to see if it was Liam fighting, instead waiting those few seconds until they had come close enough. And Liam was nowhere to be seen.

“You said he’s fighting, that was only a few m-“

“I know, I know. Relax, okay? He’s probably already done and gone to the back or something.” Zayn immediately shushed Niall though there was no real reason to, but he gestured for him to follow so Niall did, feeling his body shaking a bit with anxiety and stress, he just NEEDED to know where Liam was, right at this second. 

Sadly, they didn’t go straight to the back, wherever that was, but Zayn rather decided to approach some guys standing off to the side, clearly having way too much fun in a situation like this. One of them might have even been drunk, at least judging by his stand. “Z, hey what’s up, man?! We’ve been waiting for you, I saved you a front row spot and you didn’t show up.”

“Is Payne already done?” Was all Zayn said, his voice suddenly sounding really harsh, and he was using Liam’s last name and before Niall could get confused, he remembered that Zayn and Liam weren’t friends anymore, not in private and certainly not in public. Which also meant… 

“Yeah, he’s done.” The way the guys grinned at each other while he said that made Niall wanna puke again, but he had no time to worry about his own body right now because in that very moment, the other Alpha’s eyes were suddenly on him for the first time. “Oh shit, you brought his Omega?! What, are you like his bodyguard now or something? After Liam beat you up like that?”

“Where is he?” Zayn wasn’t letting himself get pulled into any more conversation than necessary, for which Niall was more than grateful, but it didn’t seem to make much difference. 

“Are you asking for yourself or for him?” They were chuckling again and Zayn was clearly about to speak up, but Niall had had enough. He knew it was stupid and he knew he shouldn’t have, but something inside of him just snapped. 

“Where is he?” It was so loud around them that it didn’t really matter if Niall was yelling too though it did make those guys shut up for just a moment while Niall simply pushed Zayn’s arm away from him as he tried to stop him. Too late. 

“Oh, poor little Omega, too bad you just about missed what we’ve all been waiting to see for so long. Guess you didn’t pick the best Alpha after all, did you? He was bleeding all over the floor and crying like a baby just a few minutes ago, don’t know where they took him to now.” No, no he had to be lying, Liam didn’t lose his fights, not like that. “It was quite the show, he did exceptionally bad a-“

“Shut the fuck up!” Niall truly didn’t think twice when he went to push the Alpha, only really managing to because it took him off guard, and Niall didn’t really know what happened right after because he was suddenly on the floor and he truly thought that that was it now, that this massive guy was going to just punch the living shit out of him. But that never happened.

“Don’t you dare touch him again! Stay away.” Zayn had immediately reacted, standing above Niall while the younger boy tried to get up as quickly as possible, his body aching even more now, head feeling slightly dizzy. “If you do you know Liam’s going to snap your neck, so don’t even think about it.”

“I doubt he’s gonna be in a condition where he can snap anybody’s neck anytime soon. It’s not my fault his little asshole Omega is running around the place not knowing his damn place. He attacked ME, I have a right to-“

“What is going on here?” Oh fuck. “Have you all lost your minds?”

Almost immediately upon hearing the voice, all of them went dead quiet and Niall pressed himself against the wall, still standing behind Zayn because the older boy had been trying to keep him from getting hit, but upon locking eyes with his uncle, Niall decided to screw it.

“Where’s Liam?” He simply pushed past Zayn, knowing damn well that he was pissing his uncle off even more, but he had to. “I need to see him.”

“You NEED to see him? And you think you can just talk to me like that, huh? What happened here? Did you try to attack an Alpha? One of my guys?” Niall should have known he’d never win in this case, but it was too late now, he had already done it. And he would have done it again.

“He-“

“Zip it, Zayn. We’re gonna be talking about this later, I’ve got other things to deal with right now. Step away from him immediately.” Zayn had been trying to come to Niall’s rescue, his eyes were panicky when they met Niall’s and suddenly, Niall thought that throwing up in a toilet before had been a rather pleasant feeling compared to this right now. “Do you think I’m running a kindergarten or something? Do you know what this makes me look like in front of all these people? You coming in here, an _Omega_ , running around the place not knowing how to behave accordingly to his role and _attacking_ other Alphas?”

“I-I- I just need to s-“

“I don’t care what you think you _need_ , Niall, I can assure you, no one in here does. Even now you have not even attempted to apologize and I have a feeling you won’t do it unless I show you the consequences of your behavior.” And then he stepped closer, until only Niall could hear him, leaning so much into him that he could whisper into the boy’s ear, his breath making him jerk. “Big fucking mistake coming here tonight, kiddo. I knew you were gonna mess up sooner rather than later.”

It was still somewhat noisy around them, but all that promptly stopped once Niall’s uncle had stepped away from him, yelling so loud into the room for everyone to shut up, stop the fight, that it echoed back from the walls and Niall didn’t know what to do, he just stood there, hoping he’d wake up from this nightmare. 

It only occurred to him now that there were no other people in suits today, it didn’t seem to be a normal fighting night, more like a training almost, just something for everyone who worked for Niall’s uncle. Which were a ton of people nevertheless. 

“Somebody somehow get me Payne out here from the back, I don’t care if you have to drag him or carry him, get him to me, right now. Go.” No, no he couldn’t do this, he- “And then I’m gonna need a volunteer also, somebody who is ready to fight and would like to be highly rewarded for winning. Let’s see if Payne is still a champion after bleeding all over the floor, huh? Let’s see how hurt he really is if his Omega is the price.”

Had Niall still known how to speak, he might have begged his uncle to stop, but it all happened so damn quickly and his mouth just felt dry, he had never been this scared in his entire life. So scared he couldn’t even move a single muscle when his uncle put an arm around him, pulling him to his side while a lot of the guys started cheering, volunteering. 

It was Zayn’s prediction coming true, and Niall suddenly felt the bite on his shoulder pulse almost uncomfortably even before he saw Liam. He needed to stop this but he didn’t know how, he didn’t know what to do or say, he had caused this. It was his fault and nobody else’s, because he hadn’t been able to control his temper, because he had sensed that Liam had gotten hurt. And fuck, he had.

Two guys had gone to fetch Liam and Niall wanted to actually cry when he saw him, looking so beaten up like he had never seen him before. It looked like he could barely even stand, or walk, his clothes drenched in his own blood, as was the entire side of his body, probably from the wound on his head no one had taken care of yet. This had happened while Niall had been at work, talking to Zayn, completely fucking clueless.

When their eyes met, Niall could physically feel himself becoming even more sick to his stomach, he just saw the look of terror on Liam’s face, replacing the obvious pain and that was pretty much the moment Niall started bawling like a fucking baby. 

“P-Please don’t-“

Niall didn’t come much further, because his uncle was completely ignoring him, holding him so tightly that there was no way the boy could have escaped to go and run to Liam. Not that his frozen muscles would have allowed him to do that anyways. “Well, Liam, I was gonna let you go after this fight today despite how badly you did, but since your Omega here decided to come in an stir some trouble because you didn’t teach him his place… I’m gonna have to make an example out of the two of you, I’m sorry, that’s just how things work here. You know that.”

“Let Niall go home, I’ll do as many fights as you want.” Liam’s voice was still firm despite the fact that he was clearly in a lot of pain and it only made Niall cry even harder because he was the reason for this, he had done this. “Please. I’ll do anything.”

“Too late. But don’t worry, if you win this time, you can take him and do whatever you please and I’ll even give you the whole weekend off.” Looking at Liam though and the guy who was getting ready to fight him with the ugliest grin on his face, the one Niall had pushed before…

“And if I lose?” Liam asked, his voice sounding empty, his eyes stuck on his boss rather than Niall and the younger boy knew that Liam was going to accept this, no matter what, he didn’t have much of a choice but to take the punishment that Niall had brought upon him. 

“Whoever wins gets the same price. We’re playing fair here, aren’t we?” In short, this other guy would do god knows what to Niall, and his uncle would just let him, would ENCOURAGE him and… Niall wasn’t sure he still remembered how to stand up straight. “Start.”

“No, please don’t! Please it’s a-all my f-fault, I’m s-so sorry!” Niall begging his uncle was doing nothing at all and it had immediately gotten loud around them again as soon as Liam and this other guy were getting ready to fight and Niall wanted to die. “Please!”

“You don’t really think I’m gonna give you another chance now, do you? You brought this upon yourself, and on your boyfriend, so live with it.” No one could hear them talking to each other because of how loud it had gotten and Niall simply couldn’t bring himself to watch but he still forced himself to do it, never in his life having felt so unbearably hopeless. 

He could feel Liam’s distress and pain across the room, because of their bond, and whenever he got hit, Niall knew even when he had closed his eyes for a second. It was what had made him come here so quickly as well, this gut feeling that Liam wasn’t alright, that something bad had happened. Little had he known he had only made it even worse by actually showing up here. 

Pretty sure Zayn had been connecting the dots by now as well, although Niall wasn’t actually sure if him throwing up had had something to do with Liam or not, but he also wasn’t thinking about himself right now, but much rather how his already beaten up and bleeding boyfriend was getting beaten up even more, right in front of him.

Niall barely felt it when his uncle let go of him, probably not expecting him to run over anymore because the fight had started and it was clearly too intense for him. Even completely healthy Niall could have never helped Liam or defended him and everyone knew that, he wasn’t trained in this after all and also… yes, he was an Omega. And apparently that also meant he was supposed to treat Alphas as if they were above him. 

“He’s doing alright.” It was Zayn half whispering to Niall, causing the younger boy to flinch because he hadn’t noticed him coming closer, he was just standing there, hugging himself and trying not to puke, trying to stop crying. “He has a shot.”

“I j-just… I j-just wanted to s-see him.” Niall sounded and probably also looked fucking pathetic right now, but it was whatever at this point. “I w-wasn’t thinking w-when I p-pushed that g-guy, I-“

“It’s not your fault.” Zayn told him, petting his back but not saying anything else because Niall’s uncle was already eying them, a smile on his face that Niall would have loved to punch. But he had already done enough damage, way too much.

At first it really did look like Liam was doing just fine, almost as if he got better the longer the fight went on and the fact that he was giving his all right now to safe Niall, do it for him even though Niall had caused all this to begin with… it was the worst. Still, it seemed to somehow give him motivation and he definitely wasn’t holding back punching the living shit out of this other guy and Niall was about to get hopeful, but he should have known that his uncle wouldn’t let Liam win, even if he definitely would have.

Niall first didn’t realize his uncle stepping away from them, he only noticed he was gone when he suddenly saw him across the room, clearly talking to some other guys and before Niall could even think about what this possibly meant, he already had an answer. His uncle had simply sent in someone else to fight Liam as well, without saying anything at all or giving Liam a heads up and it ended with him lying on the ground in a matter of seconds. 

Niall’s heart pretty much stopped right then and there and for just a second, it truly felt as if everything was going in slow motion, like in some kinda movie or whatever, and this guy punching Liam when he was already down felt as if he was punching Niall instead. The thing was, everything seemed to be quiet for just a moment and Niall wasn’t even sure what he was doing, whether he was even still in control of his own body or not.

He just knew that one second he was standing there next to Zayn, and the next he must have run over to where Liam was lying on the ground, coughing up blood. “ _STOP!_ ”

Niall must have been screaming rather loudly though he hadn’t even noticed himself, he just knew that it went dead quiet after that, except for Liam’s gagging sounds. He was literally in the worst condition Niall had ever seen him in, he wasn’t even looking at the younger boy, maybe hadn’t even noticed that he was here, falling to his knees next to him on the ground, so he could have blocked him in case the guys would have punched him again. They didn’t though, they just stood there now, staring, just like everybody else. 

“What are you waiting for?” It was Niall’s uncle who broke the silence, of course, his voice cold and his facial expression emotionless when Niall looked at him through his tears. “Finish it.”

“NO! P-Please, just l-let him b-be! Punish me i-instead, n-not L-Liam, he c-can’t fight a-anymore!” Truly, there was no way Liam would have still won this fight or whatever it was, he was still on the floor wringing in pain and Niall didn’t know what to do or where to put his hands without hurting him, there was just blood everywhere. 

The guys didn’t do anything, they were clearly waiting for their boss to make a decision, even though it was pretty clear what that decision would be, but it still caused Niall’s stomach to drop when he heard it. “Someone get Payne’s Omega away from him.”

There was some clear hesitation, but one of the guys did make a movement as if he was about to rip Niall away from Liam’s body, but he never even got to touch him because Zayn went in between them, something which Niall would have never expected in a million years. If he was being honest, he had forgotten about Zayn even being in here as well, all he could see now was red, and how Liam struggled to just breathe. 

“Let them go, this is getting ridiculous.” Zayn’s voice was firm, not as if he was scared, or as if he was talking to his own father and giving him demands in front of all the guys who worked for him. Niall had no idea how he managed to do that, but he was also more busy trying to somehow help Liam, do _anything_ at all.

“Zayn, if you don’t get the hell out of here right now-“

“Then what? Are you gonna let me get beaten half to death also? This was supposed to be a fair fight, you sent in another guy just to make sure Liam wouldn’t win, what kinda message does that send to everyone here? You just did it out of spite.” Once Zayn was finished, there were suddenly a lot of whispers around them and Niall got scared because the older boy was clearly pushing his father’s buttons right now, embarrassing him to the core. “Liam’s your best guy and you’re treating him like shit.”

“And who are you to tell me that, hm? If I remember correctly, you were the one who stabbed Payne in the back just a while ago, and then let him beat you up like a pathetic pussy in New York and now you think you can play the big man? I hope you know this will have consequences, even more if you don’t let me finish this mess here right now.” Niall’s uncle was coming closer now and the whispers were dying down once more while Niall was frantically trying to come up with a plan, but whenever he looked down at Liam, his whole brain emptied and he just started crying again. He had done this, no one else. “Or are you jealous? Did you wanna volunteer to fight Liam, get your payback maybe? Or are you just out for his Omega? You’ve been spending a lot of time together from what I have seen… “

“You’re right, I’m totally out for Niall. Liam’s _pregnant_ Omega that you are punishing for being worried about his Alpha.” Oh fuck.

 

\-----------------------

 

Liam didn’t know what had really happened and what had only played out in his mind. All he knew was that he was lying on the ground and everything felt as if he was floating, there was ringing in his ears and he was struggling to breathe, and suddenly Niall was leaning over him, crying and saying things, but Liam could only really see his mouth moving, he didn’t hear anything at all. 

At least the younger boy was here and at least he hadn’t gotten hurt and no one had touched him, because Liam wouldn’t have known what to do then. He had no idea what had happened, or when Niall had shown up here or why, all he knew was that he could barely even keep his eyes open and he could barely think, much less speak. It truly felt as if he was gonna die or something because of how much pain he was in. 

“Liam? Liam, c’mon, mate.” The first words that somehow came through to Liam, though they still sounded as if he was under water, strangely enough didn’t seem to come from Niall, but his eyes were closed so he wasn’t quite sure. “Niall, stop crying, you need to help me, okay? It’ll be fine.”

And then this person clearly tried to move Liam, get him to actually stand up and Liam had no idea how, but somehow they made it work and maybe he wasn’t even so surprised when that person helping him turned out to be Zayn. 

“Niall… “ Liam started, not even sure whether there were truly words coming out of his mouth or not, he was also really struggling with keeping his eyes open.

“He’s right here, Li, no worries. Let’s get you to my car, alright?” There was nothing for Liam to do other than to trust Zayn, because he would have still been lying on the ground if it hadn’t been for him. 

The next few minutes could have as well been hours or years or even just seconds, Liam barely even noticed. All he knew was that he did somehow feel Niall’s presence and he did hear his voice once a while, somewhat seeing his face and Zayn’s whenever he managed to blink his eyes open for long enough. 

He ended up lying in what must have been the backseat of Zayn’s car and Liam wasn’t 100% certain, but he was pretty sure his head was in Niall’s lap and that the younger boy was crying. “L-Li… I’m s-so sorry… I d-didn’t m-mean to d-do that… p-please… I l-love y-you… “

Honestly, Liam had no idea what else he said, but he felt the younger’s fingers carding through his hair and a tear drop hitting his face, so he somehow managed to reach out for Niall’s hand, petting it weakly and attempting to speak one more time before he passed out completely. “I love you too… ‘m jus’ glad you’re safe… “

 

\--------------

 

“Li? Are you awake? Please say something, babe...” It was Niall’s voice that got Liam out of his slumber, or whatever it had been, but he was pretty positive he hadn’t been conscious for a while as he attempted to blink his eyes open yet again. “Don’t move your hand, wait, I’ll help you.”

No idea what Niall was doing, or what was even going on, Liam felt light headed and hungry and exhausted and sore and in general, he wasn’t sure about the last time he had felt this bad. But Niall was here with him and he seemed to be alright, which was all that mattered. When Liam had heard his boss say he’d let one of the other guys touch Niall if they won… he had thought he would lose his mind. He would have killed that arsehole, had his boss not decided to play unfair in the last seconds. 

“What… what happened?” Liam’s voice sounded hoarse and he had to clear his throat, which burned like hell so he flinched, his eyes needing a while to get used to the bright lights. Somehow he felt as though he should have been in more pain. 

“Zayn drove us to the hospital and you passed out on the way there, I told the doctor and the nurses you got beaten up by some random guys… fuck, Li, I’m so sorry for everything, I would have never wanted this to h-happen, I… I w-was so s-scared, I d-didn’t know w-what to d-do a-and-“

“Hey, shhh…. it’s okay, baby… whatever happened. It’s not your fault.” Liam had to talk quietly, but he had finally managed to keep his eyes open, looking at his boyfriend who was sitting on a chair next to the bed Liam was lying in, bawling his eyes out, his whole body shaking and it was killing the older boy that he couldn’t even reach out for him because he felt so weak. 

“But it i-is a-and n-now I m-made it a-all w-worse a-and Z-Zayn told e-everyone I-I’m p-pregnant t-to h-help you a-and-“

“Wait… what? You… are you pregnant?” Liam was clearly induced with pain killers or something because he knew his reaction wasn’t quite right, but it could have also been because maybe it wouldn’t have come that much out of nowhere. Niall’s heat had been overdue for a while now. 

“I d-don’t e-even k-know... I w-was so s-scared.” The younger boy cried, sobbing almost, and it was obvious that there was no way they’d be able to have a proper conversation right now. Not with Niall crying like this and with Liam half asleep and kinda high on pain killers.

“Hey… c’mere.” That was really all the comfort he could offer right now because there was no way he would have been able to sit up.

Niall didn’t have to be told twice and he clearly tried not to hurt Liam when he half crawled on the bed and instead cried into his neck, but it wasn’t all too comfortable either because of how sore Liam’s body felt right now. Not that he cared, he also somehow managed to wrap his arms around the younger boy even though it was hard, but at least he could let his eyes fall closed again afterwards, trying not to fall back asleep though.

They didn’t talk for a while, Niall was just sobbing against Liam’s skin, quietly, his body shaking against the older boy’s and Liam held him, struggling to stay awake. He had so many questions though but his brain was so slow and bad at processing any kind of information right now, he couldn’t even recall the fight anymore though it couldn’t have been that long ago.

Eventually, Niall did manage to stop crying, but he kept on lying where he was half on top of Liam and the older boy didn’t mind at all, the pain killers they must have given him were kinda making him feel numb anyways. How was he going to explain this, to literally anyone? And what would his boss do? How had Niall and Zayn even gotten him here, he had lost the fight, hadn’t he? So what did that mean now?

“Baby… “ Liam started, having to clear his throat again because he hadn’t talked in a while and he felt Niall moving a little against him. “Where is Zayn?”

“Don’t know… he stayed for a bit, waited with me… but then he left when you got this room and said he needed to do something. He’s been gone for like 2 hours… “ So it must have been like the middle of the night, Liam wasn’t sure anymore, but it also didn’t really matter. “They’re letting me stay here because I was so hysterical and because we’re bonded.”

“So Zayn now knows that as well?” Did it really matter if he did? Liam genuinely didn’t think so anymore, suddenly, it felt as if everything they had done, being careful and staying at home or whatever, that it had all been for nothing. His boss was still doing what he wanted anyways. 

“I think so… I don’t know… Liam… I think I messed it all up.” Niall was whispering the last part, sounding as if he was close to tears yet again and Liam tightened his arms immediately even though it hurt. “I thought I had it all figured out, but… I’ve just been making it worse.”

“What happened, babe?” Maybe they really should have finally talked about stuff, like, all of it, even whatever Niall was keeping from him because it seemed to Liam that that wasn’t working out very well. If anything, it had turned things worse, as Niall had rightfully just pointed out though Liam highly doubted it was younger’s fault.

So Niall took a breath and he didn’t answer immediately, but he rather sat up a little so that they could look at each other. Liam had no idea what he looked like right now, but probably really bad judging by all the punches he had taken and judging by the sad look on his boyfriend’s face. “I, um… I asked Zayn if he could… if he could come to the cinema, so we could talk, in my break and then… I suddenly had to throw up, randomly. And then I had a feeling something was wrong with you, like… because we bonded and now I somehow feel it all because we’re connected and… and then Zayn took me there and I started a fight with this guy and your boss saw it and he said he would punish me for not knowing my place and… and then he called you back out to fight… I just wanted to see you, I just needed to know how you were doing because I had this feeling and then… and then this happened. I am so sorry, Liam, I-“

“Ni, it’s not your fault, okay? You don’t need to apologize. You know my boss would take any excuse to punish me or you or whatever, he’s just been waiting for it… but he let us go? Even though I lost?” Liam decided not to ask about why Niall had asked Zayn to come into his work right now, although he made sure to keep that in mind. 

“He wasn’t going to… he was going to let the other guys keep on punching you and drag me away but… Zayn stepped in. And then he told everyone I’m pregnant and then… well, your boss told us to get the hell out of his sight, because everyone started whispering and I think he was starting to get embarrassed and… and I don’t know what’s gonna happen now.” Nothing good, that was for sure, especially with Zayn gone to wherever… but if he had helped them… “I think Zayn is really on our side.”

“Maybe he is… I don’t really know if I trust anyone besides you anymore.” Actually, Liam truly didn’t, because it was all shady and weird and even Niall was keeping secrets from him, but he was keeping them openly from Liam, so that was different. Although Liam wasn’t really sure anymore if there was a point in doing that. “Why’d he tell everyone you’re pregnant?”

“Because he was there when I was throwing up, so… he brought it up to convince your boss to let us go, I don’t know if he really believes it though. But I don’t even know myself why I was throwing up, I think it was because you were in a fight. When they were beating you up… I felt every bit of that as well, but it wasn’t that intense, I- I don’t know anymore.” Liam hadn’t really considered that before they had bonded, that they would be connected so much more intensely that they would always somewhat know if the other person was at least alright or not. But Niall having to actually puke from it… Liam wasn’t all too certain that that was a real thing. “Li… I wanna tell you something, but I’m scared right now is the worst possible time.”

“Why?” Truly, when was it not a bad time?

“Because your boss knows how much I resent him right now and this whole mess and… I think he’s gonna expect me to tell you now.” It must have been something truly horrible, but Liam wouldn’t know, would he? “But um… there’s something… something I can tell you. And I’ve wanted to tell you the day it happened but I… I thought I couldn’t.”

“What is it, babe?” Liam felt himself getting nervous, he was also kinda afraid someone would burst in here anytime and maybe make him fill out a report or something, because his brain wasn’t working fast enough to actually lie in a convincing way right now. 

“So um… the day we told Harry and Louis, you know, about this whole thing, um… I couldn’t sleep that night and… “ He looked away from Liam then, clearly uncomfortable, but Liam honestly didn’t care what it was, he just wanted Niall to feel better. So hopefully telling it to Liam would have that effect. “You had a message on your phone, from that unknown number and they wanted to talk, so I… I pretended I was you and I met up with the person while you were asleep and it turned out to be Zayn and we talked about everything and we made a plan and then I deleted the messages off of your phone.”

“I… “ Okay…. Wow.

“I’m sorry, I had no right to do that, I was so desperate to help and I didn’t want you to get hurt anymore, so I went instead. I was 99% sure it was Zayn and… I just needed answers, I thought if I somehow took it into my own hands that… that it would all work out. And since then everything is going wrong. Li, I’m so sorry, please don’t be mad at me, I shouldn’t have done it, I know, and I feel like shit because of it, I just wanted to help so badly, and keep you safe.” Niall was clearly blinking back tears now and Liam wasn’t quite sure what to think, also because of the pain killers and everything, but he wasn’t mad or anything, not even disappointed. He honestly just felt bad for the younger boy. “Please don’t be mad at me, I’m so sorry.”

“I’m not mad, Nialler, I could never be… I’m just glad that it was really Zayn and not like a trap or something… at least now a lot of things are starting to make sense.” Like why Niall and Zayn got along again and why Zayn hadn’t contacted Liam to talk to him… because he HAD actually tried to talk to him, but Niall had gone there instead. “So does that mean… you know everything about your dad that Zayn was implying? And you know everything that went down in New York? And that Zayn was on our side all along?”

“Yeah… I mean, I didn’t know if he was really on our side or if that plan to get you out of there would work, so I made my own and… but now I’m just scared I made it all worse. And Zayn’s going to get in so much trouble for helping us.” Sadly, there was nothing Liam could have said to deny that, he knew they would ALL get in trouble for what they had done tonight and he was terrified, but at the same time he wasn’t sure how much worse it could get. All he knew was he had Zayn to thank for basically not being dead and Niall not getting hurt or even worse. 

“He knew that when he did it… he can take care of himself. I’m just glad you’re okay, when they brought me back out and I saw you… and what my boss said, I… I would have killed this other guy if the fight had been fair. God… if I just imagined if any of them ever touched you… “ And if Niall was REALLY pregnant… Liam would have absolutely murdered the whole bunch of them, and his boss as well. 

“But they didn’t and I’m fine… I’m a lot more worried about you.” Niall was sitting on the bed staring down at Liam and when he reached out for him, he was doing it so slowly and carefully as if he was afraid of literally breaking Liam when his fingers touched the older’s cheek. 

“How bad do I look?” Well, judging by how he felt and by how many pain killers they must have given him… 

“Really bad.” The younger boy told him, stroking his skin slowly but only really in one spot and Liam was pretty sure the rest of his face was so bruised up that Niall didn’t even dare coming anywhere near it. “I genuinely thought… I thought he’d let them kill you.”

“He wouldn’t… I hope.” Suddenly Liam wasn’t sure anymore, although he was somewhat alright, he hadn’t broken any bones as far as he could tell and he would probably recover from this completely in a few days, but it was still the worst he had had in a long time. And to think that it could have ended even worse if it hadn’t been for Zayn… Liam truly had no excuses anymore to still be mad at him, especially after what Niall had just told him before. “How late is it?”

“I think it was after 2 in the morning the last time I checked… I think I should go get someone in here actually, they told me to once you’re awake.” But he didn’t really look as if he wanted to, he didn’t even move or drop his hand from Liam’s face, he just kept staring at him until he eventually leaned down to kiss the older boy, so softly that Liam barely felt his lips against his own. “I love you.”

“I love you too, baby… and no matter what happens, the most important thing is that you try to stay safe, okay? I know you meant well meeting up with Zayn and tonight as well… but I don’t want you to put yourself into any more danger because of me. We should figure this out together somehow… maybe with Zayn, if he ever comes back.” Somehow Liam doubted Zayn would be allowed to run around freely after all this, he had truly risked something there to help them out. 

“Okay… but I don’t want you to be in any danger either, I just… I want it to stop. All of this, there has to be a way.” Niall sounded desperate and Liam really got it, he felt the same way, but he had felt it for years already. It had just gotten even harder ever since he had met Niall and they had started dating, so if he hadn’t found a way before all this, Liam didn’t know how he’d find one now. “Maybe Harry and Louis can come in the morning and we can… brainstorm or something.”

“Yeah, we could do that.” Liam agreed even though they probably both knew that the outcome wouldn’t be very helpful at all. When had it ever been?

Niall did go off after a while to go get a nurse who came back to the room with him, asking Liam multiple questions and he tried to be vague about his answers, hoping she’d think his memory was a little impaired. She clearly didn’t like Niall being there as well, but she didn’t say anything and it’s not like she could have made him leave, which she probably noticed as well.

Needless to say, it wasn’t a good rest of the night at all, but at least it was uneventful and Liam was able to get some rest thanks to Niall getting a nurse again when the older boy wasn’t able to hide his discomfort anymore. At least they were still alive, both of them, that was really everything they could still be grateful for at this point.

 

\-------------------------

 

“Wow, you look like absolute shit.” It were Louis’ first words when he came into the room, and to say Liam was surprised would have been one hell of a lie. Somehow though he was kinda happy that somebody was still able to joke around because that had to mean that maybe it wasn’t even THAT bad. Then again, Louis seemed to sometimes struggle to know when it was time to be serious. 

“Tommo… why?” Niall just shook his head at his friend, he was still sitting on Liam’s bed, not having left the whole night or this morning except for when he had gone to the bathroom. He had also helped Liam getting there and it had turned out maybe he was a little more injured and weaker than he had thought. 

“It’s true and I know he won’t hear it from you so I thought maybe he should hear it from someone else… what the fuck happened?” It was almost midday because even though Niall and Liam had been awake for ages, it had taken quite a while for Louis or Harry to pick up either of their phones and then for them to actually get here. They had also called their parents and made up a lie about how they had gone out to a party and stayed at Zayn’s place and… it had turned into a very messy story, but Niall’s mother hadn’t kept on pushing though she had clearly been suspicious. “Also, are you not gonna finish that? Because I kinda haven’t had breakfast-“

“You can have it.” Liam told him, referring to the bread he hadn’t wanted because it had just been lying there for hours anyways. 

So Niall waited until the other two had gotten some chairs to sit on and Louis had stuffed his mouth before telling them what had happened last night, leaving out the part though where he had been throwing up and where Zayn had told everyone that he was pregnant. Instead, he made it sound like Liam’s boss had changed his mind and simply decided to let them go.

“Wait, but… you just went there because you had a feeling? And why did you ask Zayn to come to your work anyways? I’m not sure I can follow this story.” Understandable, there were so many holes and Liam had warned Niall that this would happen if he called the other two, but there had also been no point in keeping it a secret really. Also, they could have needed their help. 

“It doesn’t matter right now.” Niall shut his friend up immediately, which Louis clearly didn’t enjoy very much but he let it slide. For the moment at least, or so it seemed. “We need ideas because we ran out and we don’t know what to do anymore and I’m afraid Liam’s boss is going to kill all of us in our sleep literally anytime.”

“I feel like… “ Louis started, sharing a look with Harry then who seemed equally as confused. “I feel like there’s a lot of things you didn’t tell us yet. And I’m not sure how we can help if we don’t have the full story, this seems a bit… messy.”

“I told you all the most important facts, I can’t tell you everything, it’d be… it’d bring you guys in danger.” The younger boy looked at Liam, who probably couldn’t offer a lot of support right now because he wasn’t sure what exactly Niall was talking about. Most likely the things he himself was not allowed to know. 

“I’d just say call your dad or call the police, you guys can’t just sit around and keep on waiting for things will get better. They won’t, from the looks of it. Also… “ Louis broke off then, looking from Niall to Liam and back again. “Did you guys bond?”

“H-“

“Yes.” Liam spoke at the same time as Niall, simply admitting it because he was kinda done with all the secrets anyways and though the younger boy seemed surprised by that, he also didn’t really seem to mind it.

“What?! And you didn’t tell me, Nialler? When? How?” Louis was immediately all excited and seemingly pissed off, almost making Liam laugh though he held back because it would have only been hurting his already bruised ribs if anything. 

“Um… a few days ago and… I think you know _how_.” Niall rolled his eyes a bit, making Liam smile for a moment as he watched him. “I didn’t tell you because… I don’t know. We just wanted to enjoy it for a little.”

“So does that mean you’re soulmates? Or is that not how it works? Haz?” Louis asked his boyfriend for help, who seemed excited for them also, but not pissed off. 

“I’m not sure, but congratulations. If that is appropriate to say.” Considering the given situation… maybe. 

“Thank you, I-“

“So where is the bite?” Louis interrupted, clearly a bit too over eager to find out, but Liam didn’t actually think that Niall minded when he rolled his eyes and simply pushed down his shirt a bit to show him. “That looks a lot older than a few days.”

He was right, the bite had healed really quickly. When Liam had done it, the wound had already stopped bleeding by the time they had gotten back to the car, which had been a huge relief. So now it definitely still looked rather new but also as if it could have been a month or something. It was normal though, Liam had googled it though Niall had rolled his eyes at him, but he had just wanted to make sure they had done it all right. Although it had surely felt like it immediately after. 

“It’s not though… and we are soulmates, yeah.” When the younger boy said that, he sounded very proud and Liam felt his heart swelling a bit, squeezing Niall’s hand lightly because his fingers were hurting as well. Just like every other part of his body pretty much. “So, do you have any ideas that won’t get us killed or not?”

“Literally how is going to the police or talking to a lawyer going to get you killed? It looks like Liam almost got himself killed last night without doing either of those things. Why can’t you just talk to your dad, Niall? And ask him what his view is on this whole thing? He’s a lawyer, he should know, right?” Looking at it from this side, it did seem like the most logical solution to talk to Niall’s father about it, but they couldn’t apparently, because Niall knew something none of them knew and as much as Liam wanted to ask him about it, he knew there was no point. “I mean, your mother would probably find out as well, but in my opinion it’s a risk worth taking.”

“It’s not though because Liam’s boss knows how to protect himself and if we go to the police it’s more likely he’s gonna get Liam arrested and if he finds out we talked to a lawyer who also happens to be my dad… “ Which he most likely would because there was some kinda connection Liam had no clue about, he just knew it was there. Also, it made him wonder why Niall had ever even introduced him to his father, why he had almost seemed over eager to do it. 

“There is no other solution, Niall. What do you wanna do? Kill him and then get arrested yourself? Hire an assassin?” Sometimes Liam was afraid Niall would genuinely do something crazy like that just to get him out of there, he had also gone off in the middle of the night while Liam had been asleep, meeting somewhere with Zayn, who could have literally been ANYONE. It made Liam feel more than just loved but it also scared the shit out of him.

“Why? Do you know one?” Niall asked somewhat seriously, but he just shrugged a bit when Liam looked at him to check whether he had been joking or not. 

“I don’t and if I did, I wouldn’t tell you. You’re losing the plot, mate, I’m just telling you how it is. You guys need to actually get up and do something about it, you can’t just keep on waiting, look where that’s gotten you.” He was completely right though Harry was clearly having an inner conflict right now on whether to tell him to stop or not and Niall was very obviously getting upset. “You know I’m right, so don’t glare at me like that.”

“I’m not even glaring at you.” Niall half snapped though and Liam squeezed his hand again, hoping he’d calm down. “It’s not as easy as you think. We can’t just go and tell people about it, I mean, yeah, we told you guys, but that’s completely different. If we tell my dad then he’s going to freak out, who the hell wouldn’t? And he’s gonna want us to go to the police and then who even knows what’s going to happen. We can’t call my dad, it would literally be the stupidest-“

Niall never got to finish that sentence, because the door opened and he stopped talking immediately, probably expecting a nurse or a doctor or whoever, but it wasn’t. It was Zayn and he looked and sounded as if he had just run up ten flats of stairs just to get here as quickly as possible. Also, it was quite obvious that he had been involved in a fight or something, or maybe he had fallen down, but those scratches were definitely very fresh.

“What the hell?” Louis was the first one to speak while Zayn was clearly trying to catch his breath for a second, not even having said hi or anything when he half threw the door shut behind himself.

“I don’t have time for long explanations and Niall, please spare yourself any stupid comment because I know you will wanna say something and I truly don’t have the nerves for that right now.” The way he spoke to Niall was almost as if they were old friends or something and Liam was really glad that Niall had told him about them meeting before and making plans because he would have been confused as hell otherwise. Even more than he already was to begin with. 

“What did you do?” Was all Niall asked, and he was suddenly pale as a sheet when Liam turned his head, almost as if he kind of had an idea what was going on. If Liam thought about it, then maybe he did as well, but it was way too late to stop Zayn from saying any of it out loud in front of Harry and Louis. And also in front of Liam, because part of it also made not a single bit of sense to him.

“I talked to your father, he’s gonna be here in a bit and I know someone who works here who can get your blood work done to find out if you’re really pregnant. And while we’re at it, we can do a DNA test as well because I didn’t find out anything at all regarding my dad and I think it could really help.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello :)
> 
> sooo i hope you enjoyed this chapter, as i said, things are gonna be moving more quickly! im still keeping nialls potential pregnancy a secret, i hope you're not too mad at me about that :p i have now decided that this fic will be 30 chapters long, the 30th being the epilogue, so that means two weeks from now the fic is kinda going to be finished and i somehow cant believe it haha!
> 
> also, the 29th chapter is going to go up on the 6th of december, which is a thursday and not a friday because i'm going to london over the weekend to see liam at the jingle bell ball (and i paid way too much money for it rip). but im gonna remind you all again next week and put it in the summary as well!
> 
> let me know your thoughts if you want, i hope you have a great week, dont let yourself get too stressed because of the upcoming holidays! <3


	28. Chapter 28

“What the f-“

“Listen, I have no idea who you are, but we have bigger problems right now. Niall?” Zayn interrupted Louis’ attempt to speak up, but Niall barely took notice of it because he suddenly felt really dizzy and also… suddenly he really wanted to throw up again. Had Zayn lost his bloody mind?! “Can you please not ignore me? This is important.”

“I… “ Niall started, somehow not finding the right words and he just looked at Liam, who was staring at him in confusion as well, which was quite understandable. At least Niall had told him about the pregnancy thing before or it would have been even more awkward. Also, what the fuck, Zayn had told him to keep his mouth shut and now he was just going around telling everybody? Was he even aware that this would all fall back on Niall in the end?! “I’m not sure I want a blood test.”

“It’s not about what you want. If you hadn’t done what you wanted last night we wouldn’t even be here.” What the hell?!

“Um, what? You think you can just talk to me like that and come in here and decide what we’re gonna do? And why the fuck did you call my dad?! That wasn’t your decision and it’s none of your business if I’m pregnant or not. Shut it, Lou, I really don’t have the nerves right now.” Niall added when he noticed his friend having opened his mouth again. At first he had just been shocked, but now he was really getting angry. “If you wanna know who your father is then maybe you should ask him that.” 

“Oh my god, why are you so bloody annoying? I saved you guys last night, did you already forget about that? If it hadn’t been for me, you could be crying over Liam’s unconscious body in a coma right now.” Okay, that was it, he was ASKING for it. 

“Oh, so suddenly you’re a hero or what? You could have just taken me to the back to see Liam, you didn’t need to ask one of the other guys and let them talk shit about him in front of me, y-“

“I was just trying to help you, no idea why, because-“

“Guys, can you please calm down? What the hell is even going on? And where have you been, Zayn?” It was Liam who finally interrupted them, keeping his arm tight around Niall when the younger moved, kinda feeling like getting up off the bed so he could fight Zayn better, but the older boy wasn’t letting him anyways. “And why would you call Niall’s dad? How do you even have his number?”

“He’s a lawyer, anybody can call him. I was trying to figure this whole mess out, alright? And I started a really huge fight with our boss and he’s probably got some guys looking for me so our time is kind of limited. So if you could please tell your boyfriend that I need his blood a-“

Zayn got interrupted when there was a knock on the door and Niall kind of expected it to be a doctor this time or hopefully a nurse just throwing them all of out the room, but sadly, it was a whole lot worse than that. It was Niall’s dad, Zayn must have told him the room number or something and Niall had never regretted calling Harry and Louis to come more than at this very moment. This was madness. 

“Excuse me, I- Niall?” His father seemed even more confused than Liam, Harry and Louis combined, which really said something and Niall wondered what the hell Zayn had told him to get him here. Had he mentioned that they were possibly related? Also, had he even said what it was about and that Niall was involved, because it surely didn’t look like it. “I’m not quite sure which one of you is Zayn, but I would really appreciate it if someone could- What in god’s name happened to you, Liam?!”

“Umm… it’s kind of a long story.” Liam answered slowly, sharing a look with Niall, which obviously meant that he wanted the younger boy to talk, so it didn’t look like Niall really had a choice. 

Just five minutes ago Niall had talked about how telling his father would have been the worst move possible, but Zayn wasn’t leaving him a choice and Niall truly hated him for it. It felt as though everything had gotten so out of control, there was no going back from it. And Niall hadn’t even had a single minute to think about what to say or how to say it, he just knew he couldn’t lie anymore, there was no point now.

 

\---------------------

 

Niall didn’t know how long he talked for, he just started from the very beginning and luckily Liam jumped in from time to time to help him out whenever he forgot something, but there was a lot Liam didn’t know of course, things that only Zayn knew, so when Niall was pretty much finished with it all and only that one part was left, he had to break off for a moment. What was the best way to say this, in front of everyone, but especially his father and Liam?

“So, um… “ Niall was playing with his hands, still nervous though it must have been 20 minutes or something and his father and Zayn had long sat down as well and a nurse had come in twice but left them be when Niall’s father had claimed he was Liam’s lawyer. Which he kinda was now, somehow. “There’s something else.”

“What else could there possibly be, Niall?” His father was clearly experiencing the shock of a lifetime, he probably truly wished he had never found out he had a son, like, it had literally only been a few days and now he knew absolutely _everything_. Well… almost.

“Babe, it’s okay.” Liam encouraged him, like he had all along while they had been telling his father what was going on, still missing the biggest and also worst part though.

Niall threw a look at Zayn instead of Liam though, kinda wanting him to say it but then thinking that he would have rather done it himself. So he took a really deep breath, looking down at his fingers that were intertwined with Liam’s and resting in his lap, deciding to just do it. He didn’t have much of a choice left, did he? 

“So, like… I only, uh, I only found out because Zayn told me when we met up that night and I also have it confirmed but, um… Liam’s boss, uh… he’s…. he’s my uncle. Your brother.” Niall said the last part only after looking up at his father, kinda afraid but also wanting to see his reaction, and he felt tension going through Liam’s body next to him, but before anybody could have said something, it was Zayn’s turn for a moment.

“And he’s my dad.” Zayn said it as if it was already confirmed, as if they already knew for sure, but then again, even if he was adopted, he’d still legally be his father anyways. 

“One second… are you being for real?! He’s your _uncle?!_ And… but… I just… what?! Does he know that you know?!” Liam was freaking out immediately while Niall’s father was just staring at Niall still, and then at Zayn as well while Louis and Harry just sat there with their mouths dropped. At least Niall wouldn’t have to repeat any of this ever again because everyone was already here… well, except for his mother of course, but Niall kinda didn’t wanna tell her anyways, especially if… if he was really pregnant. Obviously he’d HAVE to tell her in that case, but… not right now.

“He does… umm… the first time I went to one of your fights, I, um… actually, I called Zayn because I was so worried and pissed off and then my uncle noticed and he made Zayn bring me there and, um… he told me if I told you I’d regret it. Li, if he finds out he’s gonna take it all out on you, even worse than tonight.” Niall was genuinely so afraid now after having said it out loud in front of everybody and he knew there was much more to talk about still, but for now, this was already bad enough. “I don’t know what to do, I shouldn’t have said it, I-“

“Niall, are you 100% positive?” It was Niall’s father now who interrupted, clearly still struggling to process this and Niall knew it must have been hard for him to hear this, he wasn’t even sure if he would have believed himself. 

“Yes… it is him. And I think he’s gonna call you, make sure I didn’t say anything now after what happened last night and… I’m so scared. No one was supposed to find out and if he’s going to take it out on Liam again… he’s gonna get him killed.” Niall was squeezing Liam’s hand while talking, so tightly that he felt the other boy flinch because he must have hurt him on accident and it only made the younger boy wanna cry even more than before. He didn’t though, he didn’t think they really had time for any of this. 

“I don’t think he will, he’s gonna kill me first.” Zayn threw in, which didn’t really make the situation any better though because this was actually really fucking scary. Like something out of a TV show or whatever, only it was real and Niall was freaking the hell out. “At least now your dad can confirm to you that it would make sense to do a blood test.”

“You definitely need to do that, Niall, I know I haven’t been in your life for long and I’m not even saying this to you as your father, but you need to know if you are indeed pregnant or not. It could change a lot in this case.” The way he was talking now kinda sounded like they were already in court or something and Niall knew he was right, but he was also really afraid. Even with Liam looking at him in the softest way ever, rubbing his thumb over the back of his hand, apparently not the slightest bit upset that Niall had lied to him. God, Niall needed to protect Liam, he didn’t know how, but he just HAD to. “And Zayn… I’m afraid I can’t give you an answer, my brother has never mentioned you to me.”

“That doesn’t surprise me too much. Sounds like he didn’t mention a lot of stuff.” Very true, although maybe Zayn was overstepping the line a little making a joke about it, but it didn’t seem as if it really upset Niall’s father. They definitely had bigger problems right now. “So what are we gonna do?”

“I… I really need to know absolutely everything before we do anything at all. But we don’t have to do this now, Liam looks like he could use some rest and-“

“I’m completely fine. Health wise. They gave me a lot of pain killers.” Liam threw in, which was somehow true, so maybe that was another reason why he had been remaining somewhat calm, but maybe also because he had already kinda known that Niall had been keeping secrets. It felt liberating to have it all out in the open now, but it was also terrifying as hell. Nothing would happen while Liam was still in hospital, but they were possibly going to discharge him today or tomorrow the latest and if they had no plan by then… “I’d just really like to know what Zayn was doing all night long.”

“I tried to find out as much information as possible, see if Niall was right about him being my dad and me not simply having been adopted and then I tried to figure out what we should do and I… I confronted him. Our boss, Niall’s uncle, whoever, and it didn’t go so well and I kinda ran away and… I gotta admit I called Niall’s dad without really thinking about it in too much depth. I just don’t think we’re able to handle this on our own anymore, we’re all gonna end up dead sooner or later if we carry on this way.” Rather sooner than later, Niall still couldn’t believe they were all here talking about this, as if they weren’t risking their actual lives doing it. 

“Why would he lie to you about being adopted though? I know he kinda confirmed it to Niall, but… it makes no difference, does it?” Liam was right, it made little difference in the end but then maybe that was exactly why they should have found out the truth. “Why did you never tell me?”

“Would it have mattered? He told me I wasn’t allowed to tell anybody, he said it would be better if none of you other guys thought I was getting special treatment or something or if they thought they could get it as well if I’m close with them. Which, clearly in this case, kinda proves the opposite anyways… I couldn’t have told you, I was afraid of him, all my life. I grew up thinking my parents didn’t want me and that my adoptive father only tolerates me if I do well in training and win fights. He got me into boxing when I was like 5 years old.” Somehow it all made sense in Niall’s head now, the fact that Zayn lived alone in this small apartment, the one he had probably been living in for quite a while, the fact that he was always there during fights even when he wasn’t fighting himself… it made Niall wonder how no one had ever become suspicious. Then again, he had only gotten suspicious because of this whole situation as well. “It’s kinda even more depressing to think he’s my real dad though than that somewhere out there I’ve got parents who maybe had no choice.”

“I always thought you had to be married to adopt and that it’s a really long legal process and… it seems kinda fishy.” In short, it made ZERO sense, but Niall kept quiet, not looking up anymore from his and Liam’s intertwined hands because he really didn’t wanna meet anybody’s eyes right now. He was terrified, so much that he almost felt frozen. 

“Yeah, I don’t know. He told me that his wife died shortly after they adopted me, we never really talked about it, he kept it very vague until I stopped asking. Makes sense now if I think about it… he probably just didn’t want me to know I’m his real son because he resents me so much, it sounds like him if we’re all being honest.” Kind of, yeah, but Niall didn’t dare to look at his father right now because… he had had a feeling that he actually liked his brother. That this must have really been a slap in the face. 

There was some silence, which was a little unsettling because it meant no one had an idea what to do and one of them was literally a lawyer, so that was… worrisome, to say the least. Niall finally looked up but only to turn his head and look at Liam and nobody else, because this was all he cared about right now anyways, Liam’s well being. And he wasn’t doing well right now thanks to Niall, so that didn’t really make Niall feel better. 

Liam didn’t say anything to him but he smiled at the younger boy, the kinda smile that made Niall’s stomach grow a little warmer and he had no idea how Liam was able to make it look so genuine, but he did. His face looked bad, he had bruises and he had gotten stitches and Niall was afraid that any kinda touch was hurting him, so he refrained from reaching out even though he wanted to.

Instead, he squeezed Liam’s hand, gently, before moving to lie down next to him, kissing the older’s shoulder as he buried his face against him, trying not to think about how many other people were in the room right now, how shitty everything actually was. At least as long as they were here nothing would happen to them, although the police would probably come by later and Liam would have to fill out a report because the official story was he had gotten in a fight with strangers, so… who even knew what was going to happen?

“I will have to talk to him.” Niall’s father finally spoke up and Niall blinked his eyes open, lifting his head a little but not really wanting to. It suddenly all seemed really pointless to him. “I’m not saying I don’t trust your word or anything that has happened, but if we’re going to do something about this, I need to know everything.”

“He would never admit it anyways, he’d never like, let you watch the fights even if you pretended to be interested, he’d look right through you, especially now. If you talk to him then he’s gonna know we told you and he’s gonna have an exit strategy. It’s why no one ever ratted him out and everyone who did because they wanted out ended up being arrested or half dead. He threatened Liam to kill his dad before.” Niall flinched a bit when Zayn mentioned that, he had almost forgotten about it. How much danger everyone was in, not only them but their families as well, Harry and Louis… “I mean, you’re the lawyer here and obviously you’re gonna do what you think is best, but I feel like you don’t really know him half as well as we do. He’s dangerous and he wouldn’t hesitate to hurt any of us.”

That was true, maybe that was why Niall’s father didn’t reply immediately and instead thought about it for a moment. “Okay. Then we need someone else. You said he makes bets, who is he betting with? Who are all the other people involved in this?”

“No idea, some rich guys that like to see blood and pain? We’re not allowed to talk to his customers or whatever you’d call them, I don’t know who they are.” Clearly, that was not the answer Niall’s father had been hoping for and the longer Niall thought about it… was there really ANYTHING they could have done? Because it surely didn’t look like it. “I just know he’s one of many, there are others like him, we usually fight against one of those guys who work for them. But I don’t know any of them by name or whatever, it’s all kept very… secretive. So that we can’t say anything to anyone.”

“If we don’t have anything or anyone except you three who have been there and seen it happen… “ Niall’s father started, shaking his head a bit in frustration and Niall put his head back down against Liam’s shoulder, feeling the older boy kissing the top of it even though it probably hurt him to stretch so much. “I’m going to call a colleague of mine, we need to win as much time as possible. I know a couple of police officers down at the station, we can get you all protected for now. Niall, you need to tell your mother about this.”

“I can’t tell her, if she-“

“You have to, I’m sorry, there’s no way around it. All of you should make sure to talk to whoever you’re close with and your families, if it is really as dangerous as you think, and looking at Liam… and don’t try to attempt and do anything on your own, do not contact him, don’t talk to him if he calls you.” Well, they wouldn’t have a hard time doing that, Niall wouldn’t have allowed Liam to pick up that damn phone again even if he had tried to do it. “I still think you need to find out if you’re pregnant, Niall, I’m not giving you a lecture or trying to tell you what to do, it’s just my opinion.”

Niall didn’t say anything, he just nodded, getting a little panicky when his father moved to get up. Then again, it meant he had to have something like a plan at least.

“Call me immediately when Liam gets discharged, meanwhile I think you should all stay here and Zayn, I would appreciate it if you could come with me to my office so we can talk about a few more details. I really think Liam needs to get some rest.” Also, it probably wasn’t the best idea to discuss this all in here and if he needed to talk to a colleague… Niall tried not to freak out about being left here not knowing what was going to happen. And Zayn going with him. “I’m going to call you once I know how we’re gonna proceed.”

So they all said their goodbyes, Zayn going with Niall’s father, leaving only the four of them in the room just like not too long ago. Only now, things had seemingly gotten a whole lot worse. No one said a word for a few moments, Niall just kept lying there by Liam’s side, trying to breathe slowly and calmly and not completely lose his shit like he wanted to. Leave it up to Louis to completely turn around the whole entire mood.

“Can’t believe you didn’t tell me you might be pregnant.” Normally, Niall would have yelled at him or something, but instead, he just started laughing like an idiot. It was just SO ridiculous that this was what Louis cared about most, but it was so much like him to say it. “What? I’m not sure I could still laugh in that situation.”

“Babe, maybe we should give them some privacy.” Harry threw in while Niall tried to calm down, still chuckling a bit when he saw Louis’ confused face after his reaction. Fuck, all this was such a fucking mess, they were all doomed. 

“But don’t leave the building or anything, stay in front of the door if possible.” Liam told them right before they left the room because there wasn’t really anything left to say and at least Niall had calmed down again by the time that they were alone. Finally. “Do you wanna find out if you’re pregnant?”

“I don’t know… “ Niall half whispered, not looking at the older boy because he didn’t wanna sit up right now. “I know it’s stupid not to, but… I’m scared. I mean… what if I am, Li? How’d it even happen?”

“The pill you’re taking isn’t a guaranteed protection, babe, we knew that. And if you are then you are, we’re going to figure it out, okay? I promise. We got each other, it’s going to be fine, no matter what happens. I know we’re young and this isn’t really what either of us would have chosen or planned, but if that’s the way it is… I love you, you’re my soulmate, we’re bonded and if you’re pregnant, then we’re gonna have a baby and it won’t change any of that. Unless… unless you don’t want to have one.” Liam added the last part rather quickly, as if he was afraid he was forcing this upon Niall or something. “It’s entirely your decision what to do, Ni. I’m gonna support you no matter what.”

“I know… thank you, Li, I… I just don’t know. I mean if it turns out I’m pregnant then… then I wanna keep the baby, I just… I’m scared. Especially with all this going and no one knowing what to do or what’s going to happen and I still feel so guilty for having kept all these secrets from you and-“

“Hey, you don’t have to feel guilty. You did the right thing, baby.” Of course Liam was continuing to be his sweetest self, even when Niall deserved it the very least. It was just who he was. “It’s going to be okay.”

“Nothing will be okay… you got beaten up and I have an uncle who wants to kill all of us and Zayn is probably my cousin.” Not that that made any difference whatsoever, it was still kinda insane to think about it all. 

“Your dad is going to help us, he’s going to figure it out somehow, he’s a lawyer.” The older boy was clearly trying to simply make Niall feel better, squeezing him gently and pressing his lips into the youngers hair once more, holding him close. It could have been nice had Niall’s mind not been going crazy, so much had happened in the past hour or so and it had changed absolutely everything. 

“What if he didn’t believe us? What if… or what if he already knew? I thought we could trust him, but who even knows who we can trust? Li, what if he and Zayn-“

“Ni, you need to try and relax, okay? I know it’s hard, but in here nothing can happen to either of us, yeah? I don’t think your dad knew anything, and Zayn helped us last night, it wouldn’t add up. It’s going to be alright, Niall, I know it seems impossible at this point, but… I have a good feeling now.” Or maybe he didn’t and he was just saying it to calm the younger boy down, but either way, Niall still appreciated the effort. “I love you, no matter what, and I don’t want you to think you’re to blame for anything at all, because I know you think that. If I had been you, I would’ve kept all this from you as well, you tried your best and you already did a whole lot more than you had to, it’s my fault you even got involved into any of this and the fact that you were trying so hard to help me get out of there… I’m not taking that for granted. I trust you, 100%, and if there’s one thing I know it’s that if anything, at least this whole thing has made us stronger as a couple. And I’d never hold it against you for keeping those secrets, you had no choice.”

“I love you too, Liam… “ Niall half whispered against the older’s skin, his words making him feel all warm and loved, but they weren’t quite enough to get rid of all these bad thoughts. “I just want all of this to be over.”

“I know, love. It’ll be over soon.” Liam tightened his arms around him as Niall pressed his eyes shut, trying not to hurt the older boy but at the same time wanting to be closer to him. 

He knew he should have called his mother, gotten a pregnancy test and whatever else, but he really didn’t wanna do any of these things right now. It wasn’t even a full relief that Liam now finally knew the whole truth, because everyone else did as well and Niall didn’t want to know what would happen if his uncle found out about it before his father managed to come up with a solution. 

Only thing Niall could really hope for was that Liam would simply never get discharged so they could be safe inside the hospital, even though his uncle would have surely found other ways to get his revenge. He knew where they lived, he probably knew where Liam’s mother lived as well and his sisters and Harry’s and Louis’ parents and… Niall couldn’t help feeling he was partly to blame for all of it.

 

\-----------------

 

Liam was more than confused and shocked after hearing the whole truth and the pain killers were wearing off, but he tried to keep his cool for Niall because he could tell that the younger boy was an absolute wreck inside. A lot of things were making a lot more sense now and suddenly Liam felt stupid for never having figured any of it out himself, at least the thing with Zayn. Not that it still mattered now.

Harry and Louis came back after a while, which was kind of a relief to Liam because he had been a little scared where they might have gone and that something would happen to them because he’d never forgive himself for that. His whole body was aching like crazy, but he never said any of that out loud, never told Niall to maybe scoot a bit away because he wanted to cuddle with him and hold him, it seemed to be the only thing that really helped. At least a little bit.

Hours passed by where nothing at all happened, they did contact their parents but only to check in and make sure that they were on a trip out of the city somewhere, trying to sound innocent while asking. In fact, Liam made up some story about a party he wanted to throw just so they wouldn’t come back earlier. He knew they should have told them the truth, but Niall was absolutely against it and also, it would have been a bit inconvenient over the phone.

As long as they were far away from home and safe though, Liam wouldn’t continue to keep on pushing. 

“Everything is looking good so far… you still need to fill out this report about what happened and whether you want to press charges, but you can also do that from home. Do you have somebody to drive you? You’re strictly forbidden from driving for at least a few days and I want you to come in for a check up on Monday or come in immediately if anything at all happens.” The doctor was saying the exact words that Liam knew Niall was terrified of hearing, but the younger boy remained silent throughout it, simply holding onto Liam’s hand as if it was an anchor. 

“I’ll drive him.” Harry threw in though he also didn’t sound too happy about having to leave, probably because they were all scared. They hadn’t talked a lot in the past few hours, Niall had refused to sit up and he had actually fallen asleep a few times, still cuddled up into Liam’s side. 

Liam got a list of all the things he wasn’t allowed to do and when to come back in immediately, and then he was pretty much free to just leave, but he seemed to be the only one who was actually happy about it. He couldn’t wait to get home and lie in his own bed instead, he didn’t even care anymore what was going to happen, he just needed to know Niall was safe. 

Niall and their potential baby, which they hadn’t talked about anymore either because Liam knew it was stressing the younger boy out even more to do so. It would have been inconvenient, but if he was being honest with himself… Liam had suspected it for a while, he had simply chosen not to bring it up. If it was true then he knew it’d be stressful and potentially dangerous, but… he had always known he wanted kids and Niall was his soulmate, hopefully for the rest of his life.

“You guy should stay at our house as well. You talked to your families, right?” Liam had had some trouble walking and getting into Harry’s car without flinching every few seconds, but somehow they had managed to do it, with Niall fussing over him as if he was a toddler. 

“We did, yeah, they’re fine. I didn’t really know what to say to them, but… do you really think they’re in any danger though? I mean does your b- Niall’s uncle even know about us?” Louis was turning around in the passenger seat to look at Niall and Liam, more at Liam though, because the younger boy hadn’t really said a lot these past few hours. 

“No idea, but I wouldn’t put it past him. And Niall’s dad also thinks you two are in more danger than your families, so you should stay with us.” Liam wanted to be alone with Niall, but of course that didn’t really matter right now. They had called Niall’s father before leaving, telling him Liam was getting discharged and originally, he had wanted for them to come to his house and be safer there, but Niall had straight up refused so his father had told them he’d make sure a police officer would be in a car somewhere close by their house. This whole situation had gotten crazily out of hand. “I’m sure it’ll be fine though.”

“I wouldn’t be so quick to say that, I mean, this guy is absolutely batshit crazy from what it sounds like. Maybe he already broke into your house and-“

“We don’t need to talk about that kinda stuff.” Liam interrupted Louis immediately because he knew Niall would be worrying about it. Probably already was. “We got a lot of security stuff at the house, I can assure you, no one is going to break in. And it’s also not his style to do that, he’d surely call me before he does anything at all and I doubt he’s gonna do that today.”

“No offense, but it doesn’t sound like you know what he is or isn’t gonna do, like, at all.” Louis was somehow right, but Liam didn’t wanna admit that so he just rolled his eyes, relieved when the other boy turned back around in his seat. None of them really knew what they were doing, but they were trying their best, right?

Thanks to Louis, Liam did feel paranoid as hell when they got home, but he tried to check everything as subtly as possible as to not freak Niall out even more than he clearly already was. They had cameras though and all the doors were locked and it was obvious that no one was in here or had been in here since their parents had left, so Liam felt slightly calmer afterwards.

“We should have stayed downstairs, you really don’t look good.” Harry sounded almost as worried as Niall looked once they had finally made it to Liam’s room and he just basically collapsed on his bed, so out of breath as if he had just done some intense work out. Fuck, his body had never hurt in so many places at once.

“I’m fine, just a bit sore.” Liam lied, trying to get into a more comfortable position as quickly as possible so he wouldn’t have to move any more after that. He would have loved to change his clothes, but honest to god, it wasn’t worth it. 

“I’m getting you some ice and-“

“I’m good, just stay here with me, okay? Please.” Liam quickly kept Niall from leaving again, holding onto his arm until the younger boy gave in, nodding as he crawled onto the bed as well, leaving the couch to Harry and Louis. 

“Do you want more pain killers?” The younger boy sounded desperate to do something to help Liam, untangling the blanket so he could put it over him even though Liam didn’t feel cold at all, but he didn’t say anything. “Or something to drink? You also haven’t eaten in ages, that’s not good, I can go and get you something.”

“Niall, you really don’t have to do anything, okay? I promise it’s all good and I’ll tell you if I need something, yeah? C’mere.” Liam truly didn’t want anything else other than to just lie here, ignore whatever was going on because there was nothing they could have done to change this right now. Yet again, all they could do was wait, while being practically imprisoned in their own house. 

Niall looked like he wanted to protest but then he simply gave in, cuddling up to Liam once again, very slowly and softly though. This was going to be a really long day, or what was left of it at least. “I think I’m gonna be kicked out of work.”

“What, why?” It had come slightly out of nowhere and Niall had said it somewhat carelessly as well, but Liam surely did not take it that lightly. There was life beyond all this mess after all. 

“I just left last night to go see you and I’m gonna have to call in today as well and tell them I won’t come and if my boss doesn’t buy it… she’s probably gonna throw me out. But it’s fine, I don’t even care anymore. I mean, I should also be studying pretty much all day and-“

“We’ve got nothing better to do, actually.” Louis interrupted and though Niall groaned and Liam wasn’t sure any of them could concentrate right now, he was kind of right. They truly did not have anything better to do in order to pass the time. “Looks you gotta keep your promise about the study group, Nialler.”

All Niall did as a response was try to throw a pillow at Louis, but the other boy easily caught it and threw it back, a little bit harder than necessary, hitting Niall right in the face. So they kept on doing this a few times until Liam was laughing despite the fact that it was genuinely hurting his rib cage, but he was just happy for any kind of distraction at this point. 

So they did end up studying, though only with whatever Niall and Louis had to do and Liam and Harry tried their best to help. Honestly, they weren’t getting anything done, like, at all, but it was still a whole lot better than just not talking or doing anything. Well, Liam could have slept, but he kinda wanted to be awake, just in case something happened because he wasn’t quite sure if Niall would have woken him immediately.

Also, it looked like Niall really needed his help.

“Can’t you just write the exams for me? They never look at the picture when they check my ID anyways.” Niall was whining, his head was on Liam’s shoulder while he was attempting to read something in his book but he had been stuck on the same page for at least 20 minutes now. 

“If they catch us they’d throw both of us out and I don’t really know any of the stuff you gotta know either. I’m sorry, love.” Liam meant it, he was stroking the younger’s hair out of his face even though the angle was hurting his wrist, but whatever. “You still got some time left, we can pull a few all nighters.”

“No, you have to rest and also… we don’t even know what’s going to happen today or tomorrow or whenever, I think we’re just wasting our time right now. Well, I am, I bet Louis is going to pass every exam.” It sounded a little bitter, but it had probably been supposed to because Louis was in the same room after all.

“I sure hope so.” The other boy threw in, which only made Niall whine again as he dropped the book on the bed, turning onto his side instead so he could curl even more into Liam, burying his face in the older’s shirt.

“Liammm… I don’t wanna study… I can’t concentrate.” He complained, but it was probably the truth and Liam did feel bad, mostly because he couldn’t do anything at all to help his boyfriend and he could feel his distress about this whole situation because of their bond. “What if I fail the whole semester?”

“Then you just do it again, babe, it doesn’t matter, okay? It’s understandable with everything going on and it isn’t your fault. And maybe you should call your boss right now and tell her you’re sick and weren’t feeling good last night, I’m sure she’s going to understand.” She kinda had to, right? She couldn’t throw him out for being sick, pretty sure that was illegal. 

“I don’t wanna talk to her right now though… “ Niall mumbled into Liam’s shirt, his fingers playing with the fabric. 

“Want me to do it?” Liam offered because it was really one of the only things he could do for Niall right now, but the younger boy simply declined, thanking him though with a kiss against his shoulder that made Liam’s stomach grow a little warmer. “Maybe you can take a nap or so, I know you’re exhausted.”

“Not as much as you.” That was probably right, but also, Liam was determined not to go to sleep even though Harry and Louis were here and awake just in case, but still. 

“I’ll be alright, if I sleep too much now I won’t be able to sleep at night.” Well, the same kinda counted for Niall, but he was also not doing well, like, mentally, so Liam thought that maybe taking a nap would have helped him. Mostly because then he wouldn’t have to overthink anymore like he knew he was. 

“Who even knows what will happen tonight… I wonder if Zayn is still with my dad… he didn’t even say anything about that on the phone before and I didn’t ask… I hate this.” Niall was restless, he was twisting Liam’s shirt in between his fingers, moving around the whole time and the older boy had no idea how to calm him down. He himself didn’t feel too relaxed, none of them did. Well, maybe Louis, because he had actually managed to study and not say anything for quite a while. “Maybe I should call my dad again and ask what’s going on, or I could also ask Zayn-“

“Babe, they’d call us if anything had happened, okay? And it’s not even been that long.” Only a few hours, and this was like, a legal case, so… “Try and sleep a bit instead, it’s gonna make you feel better.”

“I know something that could help.” It was Louis who said it, kinda out of nowhere because it hadn’t looked as if he had been listening to their conversation, he had just been reading through Niall’s notes on the couch, his head in Harry’s lap, but he did sit up now.

“What?” Niall asked, seemingly annoyed, and he also didn’t really move from his position where he was cuddled into Liam, so he probably didn’t think Louis’ suggestion would actually help. Neither did Liam at first, but he was somewhat surprised. In a not so good way. 

Louis didn’t answer immediately, he just leaned down to get to where he had dropped his jacket and before Liam could have even thought about what he was looking for, the other boy had already pulled _three_ fucking pregnancy tests out of the pockets of his jacket. “You could finally out if you’re pregnant or not.”

“Where did you get these? And why’d you get three?” Harry sounded a little shocked, probably already having an idea though because his facial expression didn’t change much when his boyfriend just shrugged before answering.

“I got them from the hospital when you were in the bathroom, you know, when we were trying to give Niall and Liam some privacy or whatever. And I heard they’re not always correct, so I thought taking three would limit the chances of that.” It made sense, yes, but…

“You stole them?” Liam asked what they had all been thinking anyways and maybe he would have laughed had he not thrown a look at Niall, who had finally sat up, and seen just how nervous this was making him.

“No, I asked for them, pretended I was kinda desperate and stuff. I would have bought them but we didn’t exactly have time to go to a store or something… here.” Louis simply chucked them on the bed in front of Niall and Liam, but the younger boy didn’t move to get them, he just stared, clearly not knowing what to do. Louis had meant well, but Liam kinda wanted to yell at him for this. “You’re gonna find out at some point, Nialler. It’s better to just get it over with.”

“I… I don’t know if I want to. Like, right now.” Niall finally answered, slowly moving to get the tests before getting back into his original position next to Liam and the older boy made sure to reach out so he could rub the younger’s back. Niall didn’t need to know just how much Liam wanted him to take these tests so he stayed quiet. “I mean, um… it’s not like it’d make a difference right now. It’d only stress us out even more.”

“You’re the only one who’s stressed out, mate.” Kinda right, but Louis still shouldn’t have said it. “I mean… you’re right, it’s not gonna change anything, because if you are then you are, but… I’d still like to know if I were you.”

“You’re not me though and I… I don’t think I wanna know right now. I don’t think it’d make anything better at all.” Maybe it would have been better had they been alone for this, Liam did agree with that, but also, it was Niall’s call and he wasn’t going to give his opinion on it because he knew it’d just influence his boyfriend, or maybe make him feel like he had to do something he didn’t want to do. 

“I always thought an Omega would be able to tell if they’re pregnant or not.” Well, Louis certainly wasn’t making anything better with that statement, was he? “I just mean because you’re obviously also kinda feeling what the other person is feeling ever since you bonded, so like… shouldn’t you both feel if Niall’s pregnant or so?”

“Clearly we’re not feeling it or we wouldn’t be unsure, would we?” Niall half snapped before putting the tests over Liam on the bedside table, lying down once more afterwards, as if he was trying to signal to Louis that he was done with the conversation. “And it’s my body and it’s none of your business, actually.”

“Jeez, I was just trying to help, no need to always freak out like that.” At least Louis let Niall be then, much to Liam’s relief and they all just went back to what they had been doing previously, even though it felt even harder now to stay distracted.

At some point, Liam did allow Niall to go downstairs and at least get some snacks and something to drink upstairs, and he also took some more pain killers because it was kinda getting a little unbearable. By that time, it was getting dark outside and Niall had called his boss to tell her he was sick, which she had luckily believed but also hadn’t been happy about, according to the younger boy.

It was Saturday and their parents would probably only be back after midnight, but Harry and Louis still used it as an excuse to say that they should have left way before that. Kinda understandable, the mood wasn’t the best and it also felt pointless for them to be here in the first place when it seemed that nothing was even going on. No one had called anymore, not Niall’s dad or Zayn or anyone else, and once again, it felt like things had just been put on hold.

“I wonder if there really is a police officer somewhere in our street… “ Niall started once Harry and Louis had left, it was pitch black outside by now, but Liam wouldn’t really know because he had stayed upstairs just waiting for Niall to come back. “Maybe there should be one wherever Harry and Louis are going as well. I should call my dad and-“

“Ni, if anything was up then he’d call you. We just need to be patient for a bit, okay? We’re safe here and so are Harry and Louis at whoever’s house they are going to. Do you wanna take a shower with me?” Liam just asked because one, he would have done anything to distract Niall, and two, he kinda needed the younger boy to help him take one himself.

“Okay…” Niall agreed after a moment of hesitation, studying Liam’s face, his expression getting kinda sad as he probably thought about how much of a struggle that was going to be. Liam was aware though that he should have probably showered and he was also hoping it’d somehow help them to relax.

So Niall did his very best to help Liam get up and off the bed and into the bathroom, and the older boy tried his hardest not to let the discomfort show on his face, but it was kinda hard. He also started to kinda regret his decision once they were undressing, because it meant his full body was on display, all his bruises, but it was too late for that.

“Wait, don’t do that, let me do it.” Niall stopped him from taking off his shirt, instead doing it for him, so slowly and carefully that he didn’t even brush Liam’s skin, only instructing him to move his arms. “Fuck, Li… your body… “

“It looks a lot worse than it is.” Liam told him quickly after a glance into the mirror behind the door, kinda wanting to get dressed again. But also not really, because that would have taken ages. “I’ve had w-“

“Worse? I doubt it.” The younger boy sighed, but he did simply proceed with opening the button of Liam’s pants then as well so Liam wouldn’t have to bend down taking them off. 

When Niall started taking off his own clothes afterwards, Liam couldn’t help but look at his stomach, just briefly and even though he knew that there was no way he’d be showing even if he was pregnant. The younger boy didn’t notice luckily and Liam had already made sure to look away again by the time their eyes met once more. Niall needed to take this test sooner or later, or all three of them, or go see a doctor, and Liam felt like they should have talked about it all beforehand but… it didn’t seem to be the right moment.

“I think the water is really going to hurt.” Niall warned him before turning it on, keeping it on himself only though at first and Liam tried to mentally prepare himself although he wasn’t sure how much worse it could have actually gotten. 

It did hurt, or pinch, more like, but Liam was trying his very hardest not to let it show, clenching his jaw as he waited for the burning sensation to pass. Just standing up straight the whole time was a challenge by itself, but it worked quite well with Niall doing the rest without asking. 

Of course the body wash hurt as well and Niall apologized about 500 times to Liam whenever he touched him, his hands so gentle though as if they were butterfly wings and Liam closed his eyes, trying to ignore the pain and instead focus on the younger boy only. He didn’t deserve this boy nor did he deserve anybody still trying to help him out of the mess he was solely responsible for.

“Okay, turn around.” Niall told him softly, continuing to do Liam’s back as well as his hair, giving him a head massage too just because that’s who he was. “Are you still okay standing? If you feel like you’ll pass out you gotta tell me.”

“I’m fine, baby, thank you.” More than fine actually, Liam felt so much better now that he was clean and even though everything still hurt, at least he had Niall here with him taking care of him and there was no way in the world he’d let the boy out of his sight until all this was over. The two of them had to stay together and they’d be just fine, that was what mattered most right now.

When Niall had cleaned himself up as well, they were both just standing under the warm water, looking at each other for a moment and though Liam had a feeling that Niall wanted him to get out of the shower to sit down, Liam simply couldn’t resist leaning in to kiss him. They had done this a few a times, making out in the shower and also going further, but tonight was kinda different. 

“Li… I don’t wanna hurt you.” Niall mumbled against the older’s lips, but Liam didn’t allow him to step away, keeping his hands on the younger’s waist as he made sure to keep him so close that they were touching. 

“You’re not.” Liam told him before pressing their lips back together, feeling Niall hesitating for a moment before relaxing his jaw and allowing the older’s tongue access to his mouth. 

He slowly wrapped his arms around Liam’s neck after a while, fingers curling into his wet hair, softly holding on and keeping his head close to his own. It was very slow and comfortable and familiar, Liam almost managed to forget the aching pain his body was in or the fact that they would have to get out of this shower at some point and face reality once more. 

For now though, it was only the two of them, Niall’s skin against his own, his fingers pulling on Liam’s hair and their tongues moving together in perfect sync. Later, when they did pull apart, Liam thought he had seen a tear dripping down the younger’s cheek but Niall reassured him that it had simply been water from the shower, that he was just fine, only a bit stressed out.

Still, Liam made sure to hold him tightly when they went back to lying in bed together after getting dressed once more, not talking anymore about the pregnancy tests still on the bedside table or the fact that they had both put their phones on loud, just to be on the safe side. Actually, they didn’t talk much at all, just kept lying there, enjoying each other’s company and eventually, Liam must have passed out.

Because when he woke up again in the morning with the sun shining right into his face, Niall was nowhere to be found.

 

\-------------

 

It was stupid and crazy, but most of all, Niall hadn’t had a choice in the matter. If he had, he wouldn’t have slipped away from Liam’s bed yet again, he wouldn’t have gotten into the car waiting for him outside a few streets away after having received a text message that had made his blood literally freeze. At least he knew Liam was safe at home, at least that was the only comfort Niall was getting out of this. Liam would be fine, he’d get his sleep and… and then whatever else happened, it was completely out of Niall’s control. 

Strangely enough, he didn’t feel the urge to cry this time, he wasn’t even as nervous as he probably should have been sitting in the backseat of a stranger’s car, with a driver in the front that refused to speak to him. Not like he would have any information Niall wanted or needed, he also didn’t bother asking more than once where they were going. 

Hopefully Liam wouldn’t wake up, it was only 2 in the morning and he had been asleep for at least 4 hours while Niall had been lying awake staring at him and then staring at the pregnancy tests and then at his phone. Four hours of him practically breaking his head over this entire thing and maybe he hadn’t even been surprised when he had gotten those text messages, maybe he had kinda been expecting them, subconsciously, and that’s why he had stayed awake.

The car was clearly taking them out of the city, not to the place Niall would have thought they were going, but he tried not to freak out over it. It didn’t matter anymore, nothing did except Liam being safe and if Niall never made it back… the other boy would understand once he knew why Niall had done it. 

He had left Liam a letter, or a note more like because he hadn’t had enough time, but he had made sure to hide it somewhere he was sure Liam would find it soon enough, but not immediately upon waking, just in case. It pained Niall to think of Liam’s face, all bruised and patched up, and he would have done anything in the world to make sure it’d never look like that again. So he did. 

When the car finally stopped, Niall got out immediately, trying to re orientate himself, but he didn’t really manage to and then the guy who had driven him was already motioning for him to walk up to the front door of the house they had stopped in front of. It was kinda in the middle of nowhere, as far as Niall could tell, and he knew who it belonged to even though he had never been here before. 

And even though he hadn’t had the number texting him saved in his phone, he knew it had been his uncle. It couldn’t have been anybody else.

It was more than worrying, to hear the car driving off behind him as soon as he had knocked on the door, trying to read a house number or a name or something, but it was way too dark for that. Plus, he didn’t really have enough time before the door opened.

“Niall. So glad you could make it, come in.” His uncle was dressed casually, genuinely looking as if this was just a normal visit, just a nephew visiting his uncle. At 2 in the morning.

“What do you want from me?” Niall kinda knew the answer to that, but not really. He didn’t want to come inside, but he still did it, flinching when he heard the door locking behind him while he took a quick look around the house. It was massive, bigger than Liam’s dad’s house, not that that was surprising in any way. 

“Chat a bit, that’s all. I was going through a lot of options today on how to handle this and I figured I fancied this one the most. And I’m so interested to hear how your day has been going.” He motioned for Niall to follow him deeper into the house, so the boy did, feeling his nerves starting to act up. This wasn’t good, not at all. “So? How’s Liam?”

“He’s… injured.” Niall told him, never taking his eyes off of his uncle, watching him downing a glass of whatever once they had reached what must have been the living room. He was never going to make it out of this house again, was he?

“And how’s your father?” His uncle asked all innocently, but Niall could hear the anger in his voice already coming through. 

“I don’t know. Why?” He knew. There was no way he didn’t know, no way he didn’t know exactly that Niall and Zayn had told everybody everything, that Niall’s dad was working on a plan. So he wasn’t going to be playing around, not anymore. But Niall had known that before he had come here, he hadn’t had a choice after what the messages had said. 

“Just thought I’d ask. I haven’t seen him in a few days, but since you’ve only spoken to him today… “ He turned around slowly then, a grin on his face that made Niall’s stomach turn. “I can hardly believe we’re related, your stupidity disappoints me but it also made for some amusement, so thank you.”

“Fuck you.” Niall said it in a normal voice, not with any anger or fear because whatever would happen now would happen anyways. There was no way he’d be able to stop his uncle. “Fuck you for everything you’ve done to Liam and any of the other guys, you’re going to get caught, maybe not today or tomorrow, but you are. You’re going to prison and pay for all this shit you’ve done.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. Surely you won’t be there to find out though.” And within seconds, Niall’s uncle had given somebody somewhere a sign and suddenly there were hands grabbing a hold of Niall’s arms, making the younger boy flinch terribly because he hadn’t heard anybody walking towards him. He had genuinely thought they were alone. “Look, Niall. I always win, I thought by now you would have realized. I would have made Liam rich, you could have had a nice life together if you had just kept out of my business. He would have had to win a few fights for me during the week, I was planning on promoting him, but… you had to come and mess it all up. And then you had to drag Zayn into this and now my brother and… I don’t appreciate that. You’ve had your shot, you had more than a few chances, but I’m afraid my patience has run out. Take him away.”

“What are you doing?! My dad is going to-“

“He’s going to do exactly as I say. Everyone is. You think Liam will hesitate or disobey me ever again if his Omega is at stake? And his potential unborn child? I just want you to know, Niall, that this is no one’s fault but your own, you did this to Liam, no one else.” His grin only grew larger as he gave these guys holding onto Niall a sign and they started dragging him away.

Niall couldn’t remember how much he had been screaming or fighting against the arms holding him, all he knew was that he must have passed out at some point after they were done with him, and then there was just darkness and pain and every single thought Niall was having, it only belonged to Liam. He had known what would happen if he came here, he had known he wouldn’t get to leave again, he could just pray now that by sacrificing himself, he was saving everybody else.

There were a few times where Niall wasn’t sure if he was conscious or not, and most of the time he knew he wasn’t because he could see Liam’s face in front of his, smiling. There was only this one time though, after hours or even days must have passed of this pain, where Niall could hear his mother screaming his name so clearly as if she was genuinely standing right next to him before he passed out completely again, the darkness swallowing him whole this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi :)
> 
> i promise this was the last time there was a cliffhanger & i'm super sorry i didn't solve everything yet, but i will in the next chapter, i promise!!! the next chapter will be the last one, and the 30th is going to be an epilogue! 
> 
> also just to make sure everyone knows: the 29th chapter is going up next thursday instead of friday! (maybe also a little sooner, time wise)
> 
> let me know your thoughts and your last theories if you want before the finale & thank you to everyone who has stuck around this long <3


	29. Chapter 29

Niall felt as though a truck had fallen on top of him or something, as if not a single piece of his body was still intact. It was so bad, he actually wondered whether that was just it, whether he was dead and this is what it would feel like now, for the rest of… eternity or something. Not that Niall had ever believed in a heaven and a hell, but right now, he wasn’t quite sure anymore. And he surely would have deserved to go to hell for everything he had done, for everything he had brought upon Liam.

Years could have truly passed by by the time Niall felt something else than pain and complete nothingness, but even that wasn’t much better. There was so much noise and screaming and yelling and yet he couldn’t just hear one single word that was being said. It was truly terrible, he wanted to say something so badly, cry, anything at all, but he couldn’t. 

So that was what it was going to be like from now? Forever, possibly? Niall would have been able to bear that if only he could have at least seen Liam one more time, just one tiny glimpse. But he had already used up that chance when he had walked out of the older’s bedroom after one last look, trying to hold back his tears. And after all… he had done it for him. 

For all of them, he hadn’t had a choice.

 

\----------------------

 

“I, um… Niall is gone.” Liam was trying SO hard not to completely lose his shit and just scream into the phone or cry like a fucking maniac or… something worse. He had only been awake for like 5 minutes, but that had been enough to call the younger boy 50 times and search the whole house, trying to act normal in front of their parents after finding some excuse as to why his face looked like it did, covering the rest of his body up with clothes. Niall’s shoes were gone, so was his jacket. “He’s fucking gone, I searched the whole house, I tried calling him, he-“

“Hold up, hold up. What happened?” Niall’s father sounded nervous and panicky, which only made Liam feel more panicky as well because fuck, why had he slept for so damn long? Tonight, out of all nights, he had taken so many damn pain killers nothing had woken him, not even his alarm.

“Nothing happened, we went to bed last night and I… I woke up and he was gone. I… I don’t know what to do, fuck, please help, he’s probably hurt, I… it feels like he is. Something is really wrong.” The thing was, Liam was in pain himself, and he had no clue whether the pain had increased because some time had passed or because Niall was in pain also, it was… confusing and highly inconvenient. Something had happened though, Liam just knew it. “Should we call the police or-“

“I’m already working with the police, Liam. We need to try and stay calm, alright? Have you told his mother what’s going on? And your father?” Why the fuck would that have mattered right now?!

“No, and I won’t because there’s no time and-“

“Liam, I’m going to deal with it, alright? There is absolutely nothing you can do right now and if you freak out then it’s only going to get worse. He didn’t disappear for no reason and we’re going to find out where he is. Just stay as calm as possible and do not under any circumstances call my brother, alright?” He said it as if he knew that Liam had been about to do that, even before googling his number with shaky fingers, his throat feeling even tighter now. “Liam, did you hear me? This is important.”

“He has him. I know he does. He probably said something to him, something about hurting me if he didn’t come to god knows where.” Liam didn’t care about making promises right now, if he felt like it, then he would bloody call whoever he pleased. How was he supposed to stay CALM?! “He’s hurt, I can feel it.”

“Okay, I know. One second, don’t hang up.” There were some background noises, a few voices, and Liam just stayed on the phone while pacing up and down his room, his eyes suddenly getting stuck on the shirt Niall usually slept in and that was pretty much enough for the tears to spill over. This wasn’t going to end well, Liam needed to get to him, NOW. “Alright, I just talked to someone who can help, alright? One of my colleagues, he’s going to inform the police officers we’re already working with, but Liam, you need to talk to your parents. Right now.”

“I can’t.” Liam told him like a stubborn child, taking a shaky breath as he felt a sob wanting to come out. He needed to get it the fuck together right now, this was about Niall for Christ’s sake, the only thing in Liam’s life that truly mattered. 

“Okay, I… I’m going to come over then. Tell me your address and I’ll be there as soon as I can.” It had taken a few moments for him to say that, but Liam had had no time to think about how complicated all of this was getting because in the end, who the hell even cared? They just needed to find Niall somehow, before there’d be no one left anymore to find.

Liam did tell him his address, with a few shaky breaths in between, already texting Harry and Louis seconds after hanging up the phone. He didn’t call them though because they would have only freaked out even more as well and maybe also come over and… Niall’s mother and Liam’s father were literally downstairs, not a single clue.

The thing was, Liam wasn’t actually sure it still mattered if they saw him crying or not as he walked down the stairs while wiping his eyes and cheeks, his skin burning and his stomach feeling as if somebody had repeatedly kicked it all throughout the night or something. Was this Niall’s pain or his own? Or was it both?

“Um… dad?” Liam tried as he walked into the kitchen, poorly attempting to be somewhat normal. It felt as if he was walking to his own execution or something, how had everything gotten so out of control? How could Niall have just left him there without waking him? Without talking to him about it? They could have found a solution together, no matter what and even if they hadn’t… they could have run away, anything at all was better than this. What had Niall been thinking?

“We’re in here. Everything alright?” His father sounded as if he was in a good mood, he was preparing something on the stove next to Niall’s mother, lunch or something, because thanks to Liam sleeping this long the day had already progressed. 

“Actually… I wanted to, uh, talk to you about something. Both of you.” Liam added when Niall’s mother looked unsure, probably also because she was wondering where her son was as Liam had told her before that he was still asleep. Before as in, a few minutes ago, but it truly already felt as if it had been an hour or something. “So, um-“

“Oh my god, Niall’s pregnant.” Niall’s mother just blurted out with it, just like that, covering her mouth afterwards as if she regretted it though, but it suddenly reminded Liam of his empty bedside table that he hadn’t taken any notice of before coming downstairs. Niall must have taken the tests, or taken them with him at least, but… none of this was adding up. 

“No, that’s- it’s about something else.” Liam reassured her quickly, deciding that there was no point in telling her he might be because fuck, he was missing and he was hurting and Liam had no time left. “There’s something going on and me and Niall have kept it from you guys for quite a while and… and anyways, Niall’s dad is coming over in a few minutes, because, um, we need to talk. With him. Because he’s a lawyer.”

“Wait… what? He’s coming here? Why? And where even is Niall? Didn’t you say he is asleep? Liam, what’s going on here?” It was Niall’s mother who was the one freaking out immediately, Liam’s father was just staring at him in confusion and Liam was genuinely afraid he’d be able to read it all in his face or something. After all… 

“I’m going to tell you all of that in a bit, I just… I don’t know where to start anymore and… we messed up… I messed up.” Liam corrected himself when he felt the tears starting to spill over again, down his cheeks and onto the floor, but no one commented them, they were both just staring at him in confusion until Liam looked at his father. “Dad, I… this fight club I was in… I still am.”

“What?! What are you talking about, Liam, you quit ages ago and anyways, what does that have to do with anything at all?” Back then when Liam’s father had found out, Liam had only told him as much as necessary, keeping out all the illegal details and whatnot, but at least he wouldn’t have to start from zero this time. “Is this why your face looks like that? What the hell happened, Liam?! And where is Niall?”

“I…. I don’t know where he is.” Liam admitted, the younger’s name causing his stomach to twist painfully, his insides feeling as though they were trying to climb out through his skin or something. “Niall’s dad can explain it all.”

“One second, Niall is missing?! Have you tried calling him, have y-“

“Yes, of course. I called him like 500 times, his shoes are gone and his jacket and… fuck, I was asleep, I have no idea where he’s gone or when he left.” Possibly moments after Liam had fallen asleep for all the older boy knew. Niall could have already been lying somewhere hurting for more than 12 hours while Liam had slept soundly in his bed and… the thought was almost unbearable. If it was really his boss who had hurt him, then Liam was going to rip him to fucking shreds. “I promise there’s an explanation to all of this, I don’t know what to do either, we… we should have talked to you guys sooner, but it all only came out yesterday and suddenly we found out my boss is Niall’s uncle and-“

“His _uncle?!_ ” When Niall’s mother interrupted, Liam almost thought that she hadn’t known Niall had an uncle either, but the way her face turned pale as a sheet immediately kinda told him that that wasn’t the case. “Have you met him? His uncle?”

“I’ve known him for years, he’s my boss, he’s-“

“The leader of the fight club.” Niall’s mother finished the sentence for Liam, her jaw clenching and instead of fear, her facial expression suddenly hardened. What was going on? 

“I didn’t know it’s his uncle until last night and Niall has only known for a couple of days.” Liam almost forgot that he had been crying while talking because Niall’s mother’s reaction had just been so bloody weird. What did she know? Possibly something that could help them? But then again… she must have known Niall’s uncle if she had dated his father, so maybe it was just that after all. 

“Has Niall met him?” Was all she was interested in, and when Liam nodded his head briefly, she had already reached for her pocket to get out her phone. “This bastard.”

“What? You know him? You can’t call him, what are you doing?!” Without thinking about it, Liam had already walked around the kitchen island, half ripping the phone out of her hands without even thinking about how rude this was, but Niall’s life was at stake for god’s sake! 

“Liam!” His father immediately turned even redder than he had already been, now from anger though, but Liam completely shut him out.

“If he has Niall and we contact him he’s going to want something from us and we need to wait for his father to get here before that. He’s working on it as a legal case.” Liam explained though the reality was if one of them called his boss, it would be him and him only. “He’ll be here in a few minutes, he’s already on his way, I just called him.”

Niall’s mother looked angry, but she didn’t do anything when Liam handed the phone back to her after some hesitation, just looking at her as he noticed her studying his face and then she just said the very last thing he had expected. “You and Niall bonded.”

“I… yes. A couple days ago.” There was no point in lying now, but as ridiculous as it was, Liam still felt his heart speeding up, as if he was a child admitting his first crush. “We did, I… that’s why I’m freaking out. I know he’s not alright, something is going on. He’s hurt, I can feel it.”

“If his uncle is involved I won’t doubt that for just a single second.” She huffed, but she also seemed scared now, terrified almost, exactly how Liam felt. He knew there was no point in crying though and sitting around doing things without thinking them through first, but that didn’t change the fact that he really wanted to do all of that right now.

No one said anything for a while, they all just stood there in the kitchen, looking at one another, so many emotions going through the air that Liam didn’t even know which was the most prominent. Everything had gone to complete shit, he had messed up, big fucking time, and the one thing he had always been trying to do, protect Niall, was the one thing he had failed at. 

If anything happened to him, anything even worse than it already had, then Liam would never forgive himself. Not only because obviously their bond was this strong and they were soulmates, but also because Niall was his entire world, he was his future and the love of Liam’s life, if he’d never get to talk to him again or kiss him or… he didn’t even dare to think about it.

Niall’s father arrived before anybody had spoken up again, and it was the most awkward thing to say the least, because Liam hadn’t even fully opened the door for him when Niall’s mother was already at it again.

“Your bastard of a brother did this, I always told you he had something going on behind your back. And now look at this, he’s still leading that damned fight club, what a surprise!” They had known about this?! “If there is just one scratch on my son then I’m going to personally hold you responsible for this.”

“Our son.” He corrected her, rather calmly as well though Liam could sense that it was costing him quite a bit of self control. Probably helped that he was a lawyer. 

“You all knew about the fights?” Liam didn’t know how to feel about this, that Niall’s father had known that his brother had done something like this before, although… at least that explained why he had immediately believed them yesterday. Why he hadn’t even seemed to question it for longer than a few moments. 

“That was years ago, before you were even born. Or Niall. He got busted by the police, but after he was released he really got himself together, got a decent job and… or so I thought.” So he had been in fucking prison before as well?! “The fact he was able to do this right under my nose for so many years… he must know how to protect himself.”

“Or you’re just not that good of a lawyer.” Niall’s mother threw in and Liam would have laughed at their ridiculous behavior had he not known that all this was due to stress. Everyone was terrified for Niall and it was noticeable, Liam could barely even breathe properly whenever he imagined where the younger boy was right now. How he was doing. “So what are we going to do now? Because I’m not going to be sitting around here waiting and-“

“Maura, please. I already got several people on the case and we’re working together with someone from the inside, Zayn. Apparently you’re not the only one who had a child without me knowing about it, so did my brother.” They were finally all inside, but no one was sitting down or even thinking about leaving the entrance hall, there was no bloody time for that, Liam was ready to just put on his shoes and drive all around the city even though he knew there was no way he’d find Niall this way. 

“And you think you can trust his son?” Somehow, Niall’s mother didn’t sound surprised about that tiny fact either and Liam couldn’t have been the only one who had noticed that but he stayed quiet, he didn’t wanna cause more fights or tension, they had a whole lot more important things to do. 

“Yes, he’s given us crucial information that we’ve already looked into. He’s at the police station right now giving them clues where Niall might be held. We’ve also tried tracking his phone, but it appears someone already made sure to destroy it.” This information caused Liam’s stomach to sink once more, but it explained why he had been led straight to voice mail upon calling Niall… and here he had been hoping for just a tiny moment that Niall had just run to the store or something, forgetting that his phone’s battery was low. “We’re going to find him, I promise.”

“You can’t promise that. You don’t even know your own brother and you had no idea what he has been doing for the past 20 years, so how are _you_ going to find Niall? For all we know you could be working for him and-“

“I’m going to pretend you didn’t just say that.” Niall’s father interrupted and for a moment, Liam was afraid they might actually get physical or something, but before he or his father could have done anything, it suddenly felt as though someone had given him a kick to the ribs.

“Fuck… “ Liam had yelped so out of nowhere that everyone was staring at him now as he was rubbing his side, his body starting to feel ice cold as he thought about what this meant. This clearly wasn’t coming from his own bruises, this was Niall. And he must have been in a whole lot of pain if Liam already felt as if it was gonna cause him to pass out any moment. Maybe Niall really had had to throw up because of Liam as well, maybe he had taken those tests and found out they were negative, maybe he wouldn’t have gone if they hadn’t been… “We need to find him… “ 

Luckily everybody understood what was going on without Liam having to explain and they stopped arguing at least, so that was a beginning. “Liam, I’m going to need you to come to the police station with me as well, you have a connection with Niall and we might be able to use it to find out where he is. I have to warn you though, when we get there and they question you, do not say more than necessary about your involvement in this whole fight club situation. Zayn told me a few not so helpful things that could make things hard for you when all this is over.”

“I won’t.” Liam told him, already knowing what he was talking about. The drug thing he had done when he had been a lot younger, possibly other small things he couldn’t even remember now because they seemed like from another lifetime. One where he had been younger and motivated, not afraid of any consequences and not thinking further into the future than a few days. And now it had gotten him to this point right here. 

“What things are we talking about?” Liam’s father spoke up for the first time, eying Liam with clear anger written all across his face. If this was ever over and it turned out well for them in whatever way, Liam knew that he wouldn’t be able to walk away from it so easily. But he would gladly take anything upon himself if it meant they found Niall in one piece. 

“I’m going to tell you everything when this is over.” Liam reassured him quickly as he went to put on his shoes, not surprised when Niall’s mother was doing the same though no one had asked her to come along also. Of course she’d come though, she was his mother.

“I’ve heard that before.” His father threw in, not asking anymore though so Liam made sure to turn around and look at him, trying to sound as serious as possible when he spoke.

“I promise.” He truly meant it, in that moment, he’d tell everyone everything if it brought Niall back to him, hopefully somewhat alright. Liam just needed to fix this, he needed to save him, somehow, no matter what it took. This boy was his entire life. 

So his father accepted it with a nod before putting his shoes on as well, which apparently meant all of them were coming, but whatever. Liam had already forgotten that his car was probably still parked where it had been since Friday night, so that meant Niall couldn’t have taken it, it meant he had either walked or… or someone had come to pick him up and driven him.

“Wasn’t there a police officer in our street last night?” Liam asked Niall’s father as they walked to his car, kinda quickly even though it probably wouldn’t have even made a difference.

“He didn’t see anything.” Was the answer he got, which was slightly unsettling and worrisome considering those were the same police officers working on finding Niall right now. Well, and Zayn, but what did he know? They still didn’t even know whether he had been adopted or not. “It’s possible Niall simply took off to somewhere, gotten into someone’s car a couple of streets away. I told them to make sure no one came close to the house or drove into the street, I didn’t think about any of you trying to sneak out.”

“Right.” It made sense, especially because Niall had known about the police officer also, it just made Liam even more upset to know that the younger boy must have somehow planned this, he must have somehow thought it all through, thought about it in detail, only to then still do it. 

Driving to the police station was one of the most awkward car rides Liam had ever experienced though he spent the time texting Louis and Harry, talking them out of coming as well or calling him because there wasn’t anything to say, was there? They knew the least out of all of them and it was probably better if they just stayed at home, somewhat safe at least. Although it didn’t look as if they had ever been a target anyways.

Niall’s mother started bickering again with Niall’s dad and Liam would have maybe asked them to stop had he cared enough to listen in on it. It was understandable that they were all kinda not themselves right now, but that didn’t mean they should have done it. Then again, maybe this was their way of dealing with the fear, who was Liam to judge them for that, honestly?

When they arrived, Zayn was sitting there with an officer, but somehow he immediately jumped up when he saw them coming in, hugging Liam completely out of nowhere. It was brief, but tight for just a moment and it actually felt really good except it only made Liam wanna cry even more than before. “We’ll find him, I promise. They already got a few leads, I told them every possible building I’ve ever been to with him, even as a kid.”

“But he knows that you know, Z. He wouldn’t go there, would he? I’m just… I wonder why he hasn’t tried to contact any of us yet, what was the point of taking Niall and holding him if he doesn’t want anything from me to save him?” The thing was, Liam was kinda afraid that he knew the answer himself.

His boss wasn’t calling or contacting any of them because he wanted them all to freak out and really suffer, meaning he was damn certain that there was no way that they’d ever find him. Or… or things had gone wrong, and something had happened and his plan was out of control and he was panicking just like them. Liam was pretty aware though that option one was a lot more likely. 

“I don’t know, Payno. I’ve tried all my life to figure out what’s going on inside his head but he’s still surprising me. Mostly in bad ways.” He petted Liam’s shoulder then, looking at him like he hadn’t in ages, with that worry in his eyes that Liam knew all too well. “Did Niall take a test before he left?”

“I-“

“What _test?_ ” Oh, Jesus… 

Zayn looked a little bit guilty when Niall’s mother interrupted, just looking at Liam though who closed his eyes in frustration, pinching the bridge of his nose before just saying it. “We thought Niall might be pregnant, his heat is long overdue.”

There was no response from anyone for a second and Liam wanted to punch himself in the face, but he decided there really wasn’t even a use anymore to get upset because what the fuck, Niall was missing and he was hurt and Liam was being completely useless. 

“I can’t you believe you two. What else have you kept from me?!” She was upset and rightly so, but Liam didn’t even think about apologizing to her right now because what would that have changed? Also, he wasn’t actually sorry anyways, not for this at least, because it had been completely out of their control. 

“Nothing, he probably isn’t pregnant anyways.” Liam told her because in all honesty, it had probably been the stress that had caused Niall’s heat not to come, right? “I only found out about this yesterday as well.” 

“This boy… “ She shook her head in frustration and Liam suddenly remembered that their parents didn’t even know that he had been in hospital until yesterday afternoon, there was just SO much going on and it was all just piling up, getting worse and even more complicated. And there was no way out, or so it seemed. 

They were there for an hour, but they didn’t hear anything new other than that the places Zayn had given them were all empty. At this rate, this whole fight club was going down, no matter what consequences it had for Niall, Liam and Zayn, but the other guys would be free to go. At least the ones who were disposable, the ones who didn’t act like fucking puppets to their boss. 

Liam couldn’t be happy about any of this though, he was just pacing up and down the whole time, alternating between trying to call Niall, texting him and texting Harry and Louis. Somehow though, they had stopped answering after some time and Liam just hoped that they had found a way to distract themselves. 

His phone was on low battery because of the constant use, and Liam was literally about to go and try to save some just in case when he suddenly got another message. From an unknown number this time and even before opening it, he wanted to puke his guts out. No one was paying attention to him right now though they were all crammed into one room, but everyone was talking when Liam pressed on the notification with a shaking thumb, his vision literally going blurry when he saw what the message was.

It was just one picture, nothing else, a picture of Niall, weirdly cut off and kinda blurry, but obviously Liam recognized him immediately. He was on the floor, seemingly unconscious, and there was blood and ripped clothing and-

“What the fuck?!” Zayn had taken Liam’s phone from his hands almost immediately, and Liam had no idea what he did with it or who he showed it to because he was just standing there, staring at the wall and feeling his whole world coming apart. He couldn’t even cry immediately, he just felt empty inside, completely. 

Honestly, Liam felt as if he was about to pass out, as if he had already died somehow and his body hadn’t really reacted to it yet, there might have been tears on his face, he honestly wouldn’t have even been able to tell when he heard Niall’s mother speaking up, somewhere from across the room. 

“Give that to me… “ And then there was silence for a moment and when she spoke again, her voice sounded shaky but also a lot firmer than Liam would have expected. “I think it’s time I’ll say what I know as well, I didn’t think that’d be necessary or relevant, but… I think I know where this picture was taken.”

 

\----------------------

 

“Who else did you send that to?! You bloody idiot, I told you to wait!”

“I’m sorry, you told me to just hurry up and-“

“No, I didn’t! Can you even _read?!_ Because you clearly can’t fucking listen!”

There was a loud noise and the screaming had somehow woken Niall from whatever nightmare he had fallen into, immediately wishing he hadn’t though. He felt so bad, he couldn’t even move, even just opening his eyes hurt so he kept them closed instead, waiting to fall unconscious again or for someone to start hitting him again. 

Fuck, what had he done?

“It’s all good, we just gotta go somewhere else. And how would they even find out where we are, we-“

“I gave you orders and you ignored them! Where do you suggest we go, idiot?! With him bleeding everywhere?! Fuck, look at him, what did you do while I was gone? I told you to make sure he’s scared, not half dead!” 

There was more arguing, and from what Niall could tell even more people got involved, but he had no idea how many there were. All he knew was that he heard Liam’s name quite a lot and that hurt even more than anything else. Niall had no idea how long he had been here for, but he knew that Liam was feeling his pain, that he was out there looking for him, probably hating him for having been so damn stupid.

He would have understood though if he had seen the text messages, anybody would have. 

When the voices calmed down, it seemed that everyone just left because it was quiet again, except for Niall’s heavy breathing. No matter how hard he wished for it, he just couldn’t fall back into unconsciousness, he couldn’t even fucking CRAWL away even if he had wanted to, there was just too much pain. Even if anybody found him to rescue him, which was highly unlikely, then Niall was afraid there was no way to fix him, like fully. Because it felt as if he wasn’t even human anymore, as if every bone in his body had been snapped in 10 different places or something. Probably not though, Niall had never broken a bone before, but he had nothing else to compare it to.

He just wanted Liam to be here with him, obviously not to get hurt as well, but… Niall just needed him so badly, it was like a part of his soul was missing knowing he might never see him again. He knew he had made that decision himself and he would have done it over and over again, but he hadn’t thought it’d all turn out this way. And he was genuinely afraid that they would just let him bleed out right here, that it would take days for him to finally die.

Hours passed again, or maybe not, Niall could just tell by the way the light seemed to get less. He was slipping in and out of consciousness the whole time, some moments not even sure anymore whether anything was real or not. At some point somebody must have come back because there were a few more punches, a few more slurs yelled at him coming from a voice he didn’t recognize. 

It didn’t matter anymore though, Niall had stopped fighting back, mostly because he was pretty sure he wouldn’t have even been capable of it anymore. They probably thought he was completely gone and passed out though, because he rarely ever managed to blink his eyes open, and when he did, it was only ever enough to see the fading sunlight through some window. 

Niall’s hearing was really impaired as well, probably from the blood or something, and his visions were really distorted also, so when he somehow imagined Louis standing in front of him for just a moment before passing out again, Niall was pretty damn sure it had only been some sort of hallucination. 

 

\--------------------

 

“We should have called Liam, this is so stupid. We’re going to die, I can’t believe I’m letting you do this.” Harry hadn’t stopped talking ever since Louis had taken the street leading them out of the city, but he just ignored his boyfriend for now because they had already discussed this at home and they were just losing even more time, the sun was already setting. “We should have-“

“We can’t do anything else. And maybe I’m wrong, maybe I didn’t remember that house correctly, you know, it’s possible. We gotta at least try. If we would’ve called Liam then maybe this guy would have just killed Niall immediately. I mean that picture… “ Louis had almost puked looking at it though he had had to look at it because something about it had been familiar and he had needed a while to figure that out. Even after the number had texted them a location to come to, telling them if they didn’t or tried anything with the police, the next picture they’d receive would be of Niall’s slit throat. 

“Don’t remind me… “ Harry took a deep breath then, hopefully calming himself down enough to think somewhat rationally again, but Louis kinda doubted it. He wasn’t one to freak out, at all, so the fact that he was now really said something. “Maybe we should go to the meet up spot instead, it’s safer.”

“We can’t though, this is our only chance. It means wherever they’re holding Niall, there are less people there right now because they’re waiting at that spot for us, right? And if we don’t find him we just say we got lost on the way, it’s pretty damn close to where they want us to go to, so that just confirms that I’m probably right about it.” Or maybe not, but Louis was desperate. 

“We could have still told Liam or Niall’s dad where you think Niall might be, maybe-“

“But the message explicitly told us to come alone, and what if they’re not gonna let us go? I mean, Liam probably would, but Niall’s dad? I’d rather do what they say because then I can be sure they won’t kill Niall in the meantime.” It sounded dumb and yes, Louis was terrified, for himself and for Harry, but what were they gonna do? The message had been for the both of them, so they both had to go, Niall was their best friend and he clearly needed them, bad. “We have to do this for him. We can still text Liam when we don’t find Niall and before we go to the meet up spot.”

“We’re gonna die.” Harry just said it like that, but he did reach out for Louis’ hand then, having allowed him to drive his car tonight because he was too shaky for it. “Looks like you studied for nothing after all, babe.”

“Shoot.” Though he didn’t really feel like it, Louis threw a smile over at his boyfriend, their tiny attempt at somehow making this whole situation a little bit better. 

The drive was kinda long, and they needed google maps a few times because it was getting dark rather quickly all of a sudden. Honestly, Louis’ hopes were kinda starting to become smaller and smaller, but he didn’t say anything until he finally stopped the car, seemingly in the middle of fucking nowhere. It was fully dark outside now, and cold, and they should have honestly stayed home or called the police at least, but it was too late for all of that.

“Did you take both pocket knives?” Louis asked before they got out of the car and Harry only nodded, his face barely recognizable in the darkness. “It’ll be fine, maybe I’m wrong.”

“I don’t know what I’m more afraid of. You being right or wrong.” The younger boy admitted, both of them closing the car doors as quietly as somehow before Harry came walking around the car, handing one of the knives to Louis before taking his hand. “I love you.”

“I know.” Louis laughed quietly when he heard his boyfriend huff in silence as they walked down the small stone path, in the grass though to make less noise. Slightly over dramatic, but better to be safe than sorry, right? “I love you too. I’m only doing this for Niall because he introduced us.”

“I don’t know how you can still joke around now, Lou. We’re literally walking right into a trap.” Kinda right, but they also had no choice, so… there was that. 

“At least we’re doing it together, I was running out of date ideas anyways.” It WAS their date night, actually, so that made the joke even better, but somehow Harry didn’t really seem to think that because he tried to pull his hand away. “I haven’t been here in so long, I don’t know how I even still knew the way and the address.”

“Maybe because you’ve been here so often as a child? Or maybe it was just luck.” Probably the latter, but if this turned out to be right, then Louis didn’t care just one single bit anymore.

They stopped talking then as they got closer to the house, all the lights were turned off which wasn’t a good sign but it also wasn’t a bad one. If Niall was really in there, if someone was literally holding a hostage in this place, then why would they have the lights turned on? That made no sense. Maybe no one was there, maybe they had just left Niall alone while going to the meet up spot because he hadn’t looked as if he could even just move judging from that picture.

But that was of course the ideal scenario and Louis didn’t dare hoping it’d really happen that way. 

Because the property was so big, they were at least able to get closer by hiding behind some bushes even though it was so dark that that barely seemed necessary now. Louis went first, even though it actually made no difference, he just liked to think he knew the better way because he had been here before.

“They just texted telling me to send them our current location.” Harry whispered once they had reached the back of the house.

“Well, don’t.” Louis told him, even though it made him quite nervous as well. “Tell them you don’t know how. We’re almost done here anyways.”

“But, I- Lou, what are you doing?!” That surely hadn’t been a whisper anymore, but it didn’t really matter anyways.

Louis had taken one of the bigger stones from the backyard, simply walking up to the back door and using it against the handle because he knew it’d unlock it immediately, and it did. He had snuck in and out this way as a child and his parents had never known about it, so they had also not told the buyer of the house. Which apparently had been Niall’s uncle?

“All the windows are blinded and we gotta make sure somehow. You can wait out here if you want.” Louis whispered to his boyfriend, thinking that maybe that was the better idea anyways, just in case someone came. “I’ll be right back, okay? I promise.”

Harry didn’t let go of his hand immediately though, he held him back for a moment, just looking at him in the dim light of their phones before pulling him in for a kiss. Somehow, it felt a lot more dramatic than it was, because Louis felt like the house was completely empty, that not even Niall was in there.

When Harry did let him go, Louis tried to ban the memory of their kiss out of his mind to have his head free as he snuck inside the house, the inside just as dark as the outside. Hopefully there was no alarm system, but he highly doubted it because the house was really old and even if there was, it wouldn’t have mattered anymore now because all of this was illegal anyways, surely Louis wouldn’t go to prison for trying to save his best friend’s life. 

He left the door open behind himself, trying to reorient himself for a moment before walking across the living room, keeping to the wall though even if he was very obviously alone. Louis had no idea where anybody would have kept a hostage in this house, so he just had to basically try his luck everywhere, but as quickly as somehow possible.

The thing was, they hadn’t really thought this through completely, if they would have been completely honest with themselves. Which they hadn’t been because who the fuck ever got into a situation like this and always made the right choice? The chances of it being the wrong one were pretty damn high.

Still, they only had themselves to blame in the end for letting it end the way it did.

Louis remembered the bathroom downstairs when he had almost already passed it, so he walked back, still only lighting the way with his phone, walking around the corner before dead on stopping.

For just a single moment, he opened his mouth, his throat and stomach tightening as he stared at Niall’s unmoving and bruised body, wanting to rush over to him, scream for help, but instead, there was a sharp pain against his head, and then he was on the floor also.

 

\-------------------------

 

Liam didn’t know what to say or do when they told him, and he knew it was kinda wrong but he ignored Harry’s tear stained face, simply pushed past him as if he wasn’t even there just to get to Niall. The paramedics didn’t let him through, no matter how much he cried or yelled at them and it was Zayn actually who pulled him away, hugging him so tightly that Liam thought he was trying to crush his bones. 

It was all over, but it didn’t feel that way, at all. His boss was nowhere to be found, he hadn’t been in that house, had left it to one of the guys to keep watch, the one who had knocked Louis out. Liam didn’t care about the full story or why those two had even been there in the first place, shortly before Niall’s mother had led the police there as well. 

All Liam cared about were the words ‘critical condition’ and other things that didn’t sound good at all. No one was able to tell him anything at all once Zayn had driven him to the hospital back from the house and they also weren’t able to tell Niall’s parents anything once they arrived as well. At least Louis was doing just fine and he had just gotten stitches and a mild concussion, so Harry was with him in his room while Liam was on a whole other floor inside the hospital, sitting on the ground with his head buried in his arms. 

“Mate, he’s gonna be fine. I can feel it.” Zayn told him, being interrupted by a few too loud words coming from Niall’s mother down the hallway. It wasn’t the nurse’s fault of course, but she was still taking it all out on her. 

“I can’t feel anything.” Liam told him, because it was true. The pain had gotten less, there was just his own left now, but that was exactly what scared him the very most. He could feel Niall still, but only his absence.

“Because they gave him pain killers obviously, probably put him to rest. He’s gonna be fine, I know he looked bad in that picture and when they carried him out, but that was just the blood. You’ve looked like that a few times as well, you just didn’t look in a mirror.” Possibly true, but then again, no one had ever beaten Liam up like that, he didn’t even wanna imagine what had happened to Niall, or how it had happened, how much pain he must have been in or how long he had been in this house. While Liam had been at home sleeping.

“If he ever comes back I’m going to rip his throat out.” That was everything Liam could think about except for how much he just wanted to be with Niall right now, the fact that his boss was somewhere out there, not getting punished for what he had done. “I know he’s your-“

“He might be, but it doesn’t matter. He’d deserve it if you did.” Zayn told him instead of telling him that that’d be stupid, that they would find him soon and lock him away. “I can’t believe I forgot about this damn house… I know I was there at least once as a child.”

“It doesn’t matter now… it’s all over.” Except not really because Liam had no idea what would happen to Niall now, or whether he’d make it, whether he’d ever fully heal, whether-

“Liam Payne?” One of the nurses had come over without Liam noticing and he lifted his head almost immediately to look up at her, trying to somehow read her facial expression, but what she said to him already made his stomach sink all by itself. “There’s something we’d like to discuss with you, if you would like to come with me.”

 

\-----------------------------

 

When the pain stopped, Niall truly thought he had died, there just seemed to be no other explanation for it. He had been hallucinating, he had seen his own blood on the floor where he had been lying, so much of it that it at least explained why he had been slipping in and out of consciousness so rapidly. But now… now he almost felt as if he was floating or something and there was this really familiar smell, almost as if-

“Baby?” The voice was far away, but Niall would have still recognized it everywhere in the world. It was Liam, and even if he was just imaging all this, he could have cried just at the sound of it. “I’m here, baby, everything is going to be okay. I love you so much… you’re gonna be just fine, just take your time, I’ll stay here with you, I promise. I love you, Niall.”

It was soothing to hear Liam say all that, even though it probably wasn’t real, but Niall let himself be lulled in by his voice, getting some more rest because he was just so bloody tired and exhausted. If this is what dying felt like, it was surely a lot better than the pain from before, but Niall was kind of afraid of going back to that, so he tried to hold onto whoever was holding his hand, so he wouldn’t slip away. 

The next time Niall managed to somewhat blink his eyes open again, he felt like a lot of time had passed, but he wasn’t quite sure. All he knew was that it was WAY too bright inside the room and he felt somewhat sore, but it was alright.

“Ni? Are you waking up?” There was some noise and Niall felt something slipping into his hand, squeezing it softly, and then there was some light pressure against his forehead and his cheek, the familiar smell even more prominent now. “Niall?”

“Liam?” Niall wasn’t sure if he was even making a sound while asking, he just had to try, attempting to keep his eyes open for a little bit longer this time.

“I’m here, love… oh my god, I can’t believe you’re awake, I love you. Fuck, I love you so much.” It sounded a little as if Liam was crying and Niall didn’t like that, but there was nothing he could have done to change it, he could barely even hold his eyes open long enough to properly look at Liam. Was he really here or was this just some really good dream? “Are you in pain? I can go get someone, I… I probably should. I’m sorry for talking so much, take your time, okay? Be careful, don’t move too much, baby. It’s all going to heal, you’ll be just fine.”

The words were very calming, but there was suddenly just one single thing on Niall’s mind and he didn’t even know why, but it brought tears to his eyes, blurring his sight again as he finally managed to look at Liam. Fuck, he was so gorgeous, and he really was there, right by Niall’s side, holding his hand and stroking his hair, his face sad though.

“What’s wrong, baby? Does it hurt so bad?” Liam asked, immediately starting to panic apparently, so Niall made sure to squeeze his hand more tightly, not even thinking when he just spoke up.

“I… “ He started before sniffing, suddenly feeling really over dramatic. No idea if any of this was real or not, but he still needed to say it. “I-I… I k-killed our b-baby… “

“Ni, you didn’t. The baby is fine, okay? It’s fine, everything’s good, I promise, the doctor told me.” The older boy immediately reassured him, but that only made Niall cry even harder. He just didn’t know if any of this was real or not, if it was really over, because it seemed to be too good to be true. “Baby…“

“S-Sorry… “ Niall told him, meaning everything at once and he just hoped Liam knew that. “I l-love you… “

“I love you too, babe, so damn much. It’s all over now, you’re going to heal and then we will move on from this and whatever happens, we’ll be fine, okay? There’s no need to cry anymore, love.” Liam’s voice was soft as a pillow, he was wiping gently underneath Niall’s eyes, leaning over him to kiss at his cheek again, stroking his hair. 

“I’m sorry I l-left… I d-didn’t w-want to… “ Liam possibly didn’t even know, Niall had no idea what had happened, or how he had found him or what day it even was.

“I know you didn’t, baby, you don’t have to apologize. I know about the messages he sent you, I know what happened.” That was a relief, because Niall wasn’t sure if he would have been able to say it out loud.

That night, whenever that had been, Niall’s uncle had sent him pictures of Harry’s house, of Louis’, and of the building Liam’s mother lived in, obviously all having been taken shortly before. He had promised Niall that if he didn’t come to talk to him or get anyone involved and show them, he’d hurt them all in some way or another. Of course Niall could have shown Liam, but he would have never allowed him to go and then someone would have gotten hurt, in the worst case scenario Liam’s little sisters, all because of Niall’s decision. He hadn’t had a choice. 

“W-what… what happened?” Niall didn’t know, he didn’t even know how late it was or anything, all he knew was that it felt so good to see, feel and smell Liam that he could have cried some more. “How did you find m-me?”

“I didn’t.” Liam admitted, smiling a bit sadly down at Niall while still caressing his skin. “Louis and Harry did though, and your mother.”

“My… my m-mom?” Oh god, did that mean…

“Yeah. She knows everything, don’t worry about it. In fact, she’s the one who kinda solved all this.” Okay, this was definitely getting a bit confusing for Niall, but he was slowly waking up more, slowly starting to actually feel real again and with it came the pain as well, sadly, but nowhere near as bad as it had been. “I can tell you everything, but you look really exhausted and I-“

“Tell me.” Niall interrupted, because he needed to know what was going on, he just… he needed to know everything, right at this second. 

“Okay.” Liam agreed though he looked a bit unsure as he studied the younger’s face, pressing a kiss to his temple before he started. “So… when I noticed you were gone, I called your dad and then he came over and I told my dad and your mom… we went to the police station together, because they were trying to find you, Zayn was helping them as well. I got a text message from one of the guys working for my boss and… it was a picture of you, beaten up and… yeah. Your mom she… she recognized the house you were in, by the floor and the carpet, don’t ask me how, but… she had something going on. With him. And that was the house that… that he brought women he slept with to.”

“I… what?” Oh god, what?!

“It was years ago, after she split with your father and… anyways, that’s not really, like, my place to tell, but, um… that’s how she knew. Apparently I wasn’t supposed to get the picture, or at least not that one, but one of the guys messed up and he sent it to both me and Louis and… well, it turns out the house belonged to Louis’ parents when he was a kid, so he recognized it as well in the picture because his dad built it, so he knew the floor because he was there when it was put in. Your uncle didn’t know about that but he panicked because I had gotten the picture also and he told Louis and Harry to meet him somewhere, but they went to the house instead, found you there and one of the guys waiting there knocked Louis out. He’s fine though, don’t worry, Harry actually stabbed that guy and they did some first aid on you and called the ambulance. And then shortly after that we arrived as well with the police and everyone and… they drove you here.” Liam had to take a breath after saying the last part and Niall could tell that it was hard for him, following that story was really hard in general but he was trying his very best.

“So… so where’s my uncle?” Niall needed to know if he was still out there somewhere, if there was a chance that he would come back, if it had all been for nothing.

“He fled, one of the guys probably warned him, but… the police found him two days ago, he won’t get out in a really long time, for what he did to you alone and then everything else....” He sounded happy when saying that and Niall was too, but he was also confused as hell.

“How though? I mean… I thought he surely had an exit strategy, and my dad said that if we have no one else from the inside willing to talk-“

“I know, yeah. But… they had someone.” There was an awkward silence and Liam looked away for the flicker of a moment, not giving Niall enough time to get too curious though. “Your mom again.”

“What? She slept with him and she knew about it all?!” Niall felt his heart rate going up and so did Liam, probably, because he immediately tried to calm the younger boy down again. 

“She didn’t know we were involved or any of that. But… after she left your dad she had something going on with your uncle because… short, she needed the money. She attended a couple of fights, when you were a child. She’d bet on people and make money this way, she knew his whole business inside out, so… she was able to give all the information to the police. Of course she never told your uncle about you and he never told her about Zayn and she also stopped going there after a few years, she thought he had long given it all up, that’s what he told her.” Fuck… now it made sense that she had been so hesitant about Niall meeting his uncle, like… if she had known how he was like... 

“What about you? And Zayn? And everyone involved? I mean… my mom was doing something illegal as well.” They all had been really, thinking about it this way. 

“It won’t have any consequences for me… and most of the guys who were involved in just the fights and none of his personal business. Most of us were underage when he got us on board and had us deal drugs, and generally it’s all treated as us having been forced into it, which is the truth after all. And Zayn… they found his birth certificate, he really is his biological son, he just told him otherwise because he was just a bother to him, just an accident. Actually… Louis and Zayn talked and it turns out they’ve met before, as kids, at this house, you know? So they kinda bonded over that, which is really random… your uncle told Louis’ parents back then about how Zayn’s mother had died and stuff, they only ever spoke this one time though, when he bought the house and he surely didn’t remember their names or thought there was any connection there but… at least Zayn got a little bit of closure, he went to his mom’s grave yesterday… nothing is going to happen to him either, he really had the least choice out of all of us. And your mom fully cooperated, so… yeah, she has to pay a fine, but my dad already did that, I believe. It’s all over, Niall, nothing can happen anymore.” Liam was smiling for real this time, one of his bloody gorgeous smiles that Niall had thought he would never again see in a billion years.

Somehow, all he could do as a reaction was to break out into even more tears. 

“Ni… you don’t have to cry anymore, everything is okay. Are you in pain? I should go and get someone… “ Liam sounded worried as hell, his fingers seemed to be everywhere at once, wiping Niall’s tears and brushing some hair out of his forehead, caressing his temple and cheek. 

“N-No… d-don’t leave m-me… “ Niall never wanted to be apart from Liam ever again, he just wanted to be with him, every single day for the rest of their lives. “I j-just… c-can’t believe t-this… “

“I know… but it’ll all be okay. Finally.” When Liam slowly moved his hand down to Niall’s stomach, not really touching it though, Niall felt himself shiver a bit. They hadn’t talked about this, and he knew it had been unfair and terrible of him, but… he couldn’t have told Liam before leaving. 

“I’m s-sorry… for not t-telling you… “ And for risking their baby’s life by doing this, but Niall had had no choice, it would have been more than selfish. “I took the t-tests… b-before my u-uncle texted m-me… they w-were a-all p-positive… “

“You didn’t write that in the letter… “ So Liam had found it, somewhere between his clothes, like he had been supposed to. It had been more of a note really, but Niall felt even more guilty now. 

“I thought…. I thought i-if…. if I n-never c-come back… I didn’t w-want you to k-know so it w-wouldn’t h-hurt you… I know it was w-wrong… I didn’t know w-what to d-do…” Also, Liam would have probably found out even… even if Niall had died, they might have still told him. But Niall hadn’t known what to do, he couldn’t have risked the lives of so many people, and the naïve part of him had been hoping his uncle really just wanted to talk. Then again, maybe he had just told himself that because he had had no choice anyways. “I’m s-sorry… “

“It’s okay, Ni, I’m not mad at you, I never could be. It’s all over now and you don’t have to apologize for anything at all, everyone knows why you did it and I would have probably done the exact same thing… “ He was still looking at Niall’s stomach, slowly moving his hand over it, the hint of a smile on his face. “We’re gonna be parents.”

“Yeah… I’m scared.” Niall told him, sniffing a bit but trying his best to finally stop crying. 

“Me too… “ The older boy admitted after a moment, but he seemed happy when he looked up, leaving his hand where it was but moving to kiss Niall, in the softest way possible. “But we’re gonna be okay. And I really mean it this time, because I know we will be.”

“I’m still failing all my exams…” Niall threw in, kinda to lighten the mood, but also because it was true. Not that he genuinely still cared though. 

“I’ll still love you anyways.” Liam told him before kissing him again and Niall felt himself smiling against the older’s lips, through the pain and the slight discomfort.

Obviously Liam had to get a nurse sometime later, and then Niall’s parents and Liam’s father came by after work and so did Harry, Louis and Zayn and Niall did get a bit of a scolding, but it was obvious everyone was just happy that he was well and alive, that all this was finally over even though they had a LOT to talk about, especially Niall’s mother. Him, Harry and Louis had kinda all risked their lives for one another and Louis sounded more than just proud of what they had done and somehow it all felt like they were in some movie, with the cheesiest ending ever. A really happy one though. 

Later, when it was only Niall and Liam again because the older boy had promised him no one would be able to throw him out of this room, or the bed, Niall truly felt like the luckiest person alive, despite everything that had happened. It seemed as though everything had kinda happened out of complete coincidence from the very beginning and even up until everyone recognizing that house in the picture, somehow it still made Niall think that it had all been supposed to happen this way. How could it have not, if he had found his soulmate through all of that?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sooo here we have it, that's it, that's (hopefully) everything solved!
> 
> i gotta admit i had quite a few troubles with this chapter, especially because i wrote it all in one single go rip. ive re read it a couple times and kept changing small details and i just really really hope you guys enjoyed it and were a little surprised at least! ive never written from anyones POV except niall or liam before, but i decided to try it just this once, kinda for the drama a little haha. 
> 
> i really hope i didnt forget anything, or that its unclear or that youre confused, if that is the case then please tell me!! there will be an epilogue next week as you all know, and i am definitely going to use it to get into more detail about a few things that happened in this chapter (especially niall being pregnant ;))! this is also a reason why i didn't make the ending too extremely long, because the chapter was already so long and ive been keeping some stuff for the epilogue!
> 
> please let me know your thoughts and whatever else comes to mind, id love to read it! ive been kinda nervous about posting this somehow because this week has been really stressful and i gotta get up really early tomorrow to go to the airport, so im sorry if this affected the chapter in whatever way.
> 
> thank you all so much for sticking around here until the end & i'll talk to you in the comments or next week for the last update <3


	30. Epilogue

Niall was stressed out and he was in a terrible rush and at this second, he genuinely considered calling Louis or Harry to tell them that they weren’t going to come and that it was honestly their own fault for getting married in the middle of December. Who did that? No one, only those two and honestly, they were probably doing it on pure fucking purpose at this point.

“Look.” Niall’s arm was almost falling off carrying his son through the mall, but if he had had let him walk, they would have literally never gotten to where they needed to be. And they had already spent like 2 hours in the bloody toy shop where Niall had never even planned on going in the first place.

“I know, Jakey, you already showed me that four times, we have to find daddy, okay? Can you tell me if you see him?” There was no chance that he would because there were too many people getting their Christmas shopping done and Liam’s phone was apparently out of battery so Niall gave up after trying to call him a third time and was sent straight to voice mail. 

“I wanna take this off.” The little boy in Niall’s arms was complaining and Niall genuinely got it because he himself wanted to take his jacket off also, it was hot as hell in here. 

“Let’s wait outside, okay? I’m sure daddy is going to find us there as well.” It’d be cold outside, but that was still better than being in here for longer than necessary. If Liam didn’t find them then that was honestly his own fault for letting his phone run out of battery the same day his car needed to get repaired. Also, Niall was most likely feeling moody and stressed out like never before.

So they went outside, which was already kind of a relief, and Niall finally put Jacob down to save his arm from getting permanently damaged. Luckily he had already put the shopping bags into the car before, so he didn’t have anything else to carry right now. 

Seeing as there was no point in staring at his phone for much longer because Liam wouldn’t be able to call or text anyways, Niall simply went to sit down on one of the benches outside even though they were cold and probably wet from the rain but whatever. “Jacob, can you stay with me please? I know you wanna go home, but daddy is going to be here soon, okay?”

He didn’t seem very happy about listening to Niall right now, but at least he stopped attempting to eat leaves off of the ground and Niall felt like a terrible father for not even having noticed until his son dropped it to come back over to him. Fuck, when would this day finally end? And tomorrow would be even more stressful. 

“Do you wanna tell me about school today?” When Niall had picked him up what had felt like hours ago, they hadn’t had a lot of time to talk about that, so Niall was trying his best now to calm down a bit and be normal again. “Did you have a lot of fun?”

“No.” Was all Jacob said and Niall lifted him onto his lap so he wouldn’t run off anymore and attempt to eat something worse than leaves.

“No?! Why not?” Niall asked all exaggerated, kissing Jacob’s chubby cheek. He looked so much like Liam it was crazy, they had the same exact eyes and nose and Niall had been so relieved that he looked almost nothing like him but was a perfect mini-Liam instead. Liam always told him he thought he looked like both of them even though everyone knew that that wasn’t true and it also didn’t matter because Liam was a model. Literally. “What happened?”

“Nothing. It was boring.” He shrugged a bit, playing with the zipper of Niall’s jacket for a moment before looking up at him. “I don’t like school.”

“I know that, love… “ Niall told him thoughtfully because he didn’t know what else to say right now when he looked down into this innocent face, brushing some hair out of his face. “Are you excited that today was the last day though? What did you do?”

So Jacob did tell him a bit about school and Niall felt bad that the only thing he could really do to make his son feel better was to hype him up about nothing having to go back to school for a while because of the holidays. Obviously he and Liam had known about this for a while, and they had already looked at getting him into a new school next year, but they had agreed that it wouldn’t be a good idea to do it in the middle of the semester and as far as they were concerned, he wasn’t getting bullied or anything, he simply didn’t feel comfortable there.

Liam had pointed out that maybe it had something to do with the fact that after he had been born, Niall had literally refused to let anyone watch him for more than an hour except the two of them up until he had turned 3 and had started school. He was now 3 and a half, so maybe he just needed some time to adjust still and get used to not being with Niall literally every second of the day. 

Sometimes Niall felt like he had messed up even though he had always only wanted the best, but he had still only barely been 21 when Jacob had been born and he had still been in uni and so much stuff had happened before all this that Niall had just grown to be very protective. Maybe a little too protective, although Liam always told him that he was doing just fine, that he was a great parent and that they were both trying their best, that it would all be okay and that it wasn’t a big deal. So hopefully he was right about that, like he was about most things.

“And did y-“

“Look, it’s daddy!” Jacob interrupted Niall when he had been about to ask about one of his friends, immediately getting really excited and moving on Niall’s lap until the man put him down carefully.

“Be careful when you’re running over to him.” He told him, only letting him though when he could be sure that Liam had seen them as well and came a bit closer.

Upon seeing him, Niall felt his chest getting a bit less tight and the knots in his stomach easing slightly though he still felt stressed out as hell, but at least they could go home now and it was always a relief to have all three of them together again, even if it had just been a couple hours. 

Niall slowly got up while watching Jacob running over to Liam with the speed of light and the other man picking him up immediately, the widest smile on his face when he cuddled him and Niall felt himself smiling as well, already feeling better. Well, for now anyways because whenever he tried to relax, he just thought about how stressful tomorrow was going to be. 

“Hi, baby.” Liam was still smiling when Niall came over to them, wrapping his free arm around the younger man to pull him in so they could kiss, briefly but firmly, and Niall yet again wondered how he managed to say goodbye to him every single morning. “I’m sorry I’m so late, my phone ran out of battery and I had no time to charge it anywhere or I would’ve been even later. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, I got everything, so… we can just leave. And you can drive.” Niall told him, not mentioning that his back was really killing him because he didn’t want Liam to be too worried about him although judging by the look on his face… he already was. “Did you hear anything about your car?”

“No, they didn’t call before my phone went out of charge and it’s too late now anyways, I’ll probably only get it back Monday.” Liam explained as Niall let his hand slip into his because he was just so ready to finally get home, he was almost ecstatic about getting to lie down. “How are you feeling? Was everything okay today?”

“I guess so, I’m just a bit… stressed because of tomorrow.” The younger man admitted, intertwining his fingers with Liam’s without looking like a billion times before. “I don’t know what they were thinking, like, not only is this wedding at the end of December it’s also on the very first day of winter break?”

“We’re their only friends with a kid though.” Liam pointed out, although to be very fair, it’s not like Louis and Harry had THAT many friends to begin with. So that was the only relief, at least it wouldn’t be a crazy wedding like Niall’s mother to Liam’s father had been although that seemed AGES in the past, when Jacob hadn’t even been born yet. “We can go home again right after it’s over.”

“No, that’d be rude, we’re their best friends… _and_ their best men. We can’t just leave early.” Although hearing Liam say that sounded more than just a little tempting. “It’s just one day, I’ll survive.”

“I don’t want you to feel bad though, I know you keep talking it down.” He was right, but Niall just shrugged, instead leaning over to kiss Liam’s cheek briefly before looking at their son who Liam was still carrying, a lot more easily than Niall before. But he was already 3 and a half, he wasn’t as light anymore as he used to be as a baby when Niall had literally never put him down in fear of anything happening. He had truly been a bit too over protective. 

“Jake, don’t you wanna tell daddy what we got for granny today? What you picked out?” Niall was changing the topic on purpose, not really feeling up to talk about himself right now, so he let Jacob ramble on about everything they had bought today for everyone for Christmas and Liam let it slide, his full attention on their son while they were walking to the car.

Niall let Liam handle everything in the back, he simply went to sit in the passenger seat, just relieved that he wouldn’t have to go anywhere anymore today except for just home. He hadn’t even spent a lot of time at work today, only 3 hours before he had already had to pick up Jake again and then they had come straight to the mall, after Niall had made sure to get him a snack at least. 

Then again, maybe Niall shouldn’t have been complaining so much about this day inside his head because at least he hadn’t had to take the bus everywhere like Liam had and it would have literally taken him an hour to get home with public transport if he hadn’t found Niall just now so there was that. And all this stress just because Louis and Harry had decided to get married _tomorrow_. 

“Do you want me to make dinner tonight?” Liam offered after he had strapped Jacob into his seat and gotten into the car as well, immediately reaching out for the younger’s hand again.

“No, let’s just order something, takes less time.” They didn’t do that a lot, so Niall knew it’d make Liam suspicious but he didn’t care too much. “We should go to bed early tonight, we gotta get up at like… 7 or something.”

“You really don’t like that this wedding is tomorrow, do you?” He almost sounded as if he wanted to laugh but didn’t and Niall just sighed, squeezing the older’s hand.

The thing was… Niall wasn’t actually sure why he was so annoyed the whole time ever since he had found out. It wasn’t even that it was a Saturday morning or that it was the very first day of Jake’s Christmas break or even that it was so close to Christmas in general, the truth was… somehow Niall had always been certain that it would be him and Liam who got married first. And they hadn’t while everyone else around them had and actually it shouldn’t have even made Niall think at all because they were bonded, they were soulmate, they’d stay together until the end of time, and yet… he couldn’t help thinking about it.

“I just keep thinking about getting up early, being tired and wearing a suit, putting Jake into a suit, going there and... it’ll be exhausting.” Niall complained some more because why not, even though he regretted it again a moment later because he didn’t want Liam to be worried about him after all. But it was too late for that anyways. 

“I can do everything else in the morning and you can just sleep and then get dressed and we can leave as early as somehow possible.” Liam was just too good for this world, truly, he would have done absolutely anything at all to make this somehow better for Niall and Niall knew that and it only made him feel more guilty. 

“It’s okay, I’ll manage, thank you though. I’m sorry for complaining so much today… how was work?” He decided to switch the topic when Liam started the car, not letting go of Niall’s hand though as he told him about the photoshoots he had had and the lecture he had taught and it was nice just listening to him instead of overthinking again.

The drive home was kinda long and there was a lot of traffic and Jacob fell asleep in the backseat after like 10 minutes. When they got home, Liam didn’t allow Niall to carry anything at all, not even their son, he just sent him upstairs telling him to just go relax on the couch while he did everything else despite Niall complaining and trying to pick up some shopping bags.

So in the end, he simply gave in after kissing Liam’s lips again, dragging himself upstairs to their front door to the apartment that they had moved into pretty much right before Jacob had been born. It had been really stressful and Niall had felt bad that he hadn’t really contributed a lot to paying for it, but Liam had rightly pointed out that living in his father’s house when they had a baby would be even more stressful. And yeah, Niall’s mother had kinda been upset, but it’s not like she hadn’t been there almost every single day to see Jake in the beginning. 

“There you are… do you want me to order food?” Liam was talking quietly once he came into their bedroom where Niall had basically just collapsed on his back in the middle of their bed after kicking off his shoes and jacket. He was truly so exhausted, he could have fallen right asleep.

“Yeah… just get whatever you want. Where’s Jake?” Niall didn’t open his eyes, but he felt the mattress dipping in next to him as Liam lied down as well, the younger’s nose filling with his scent. 

“In his room, I made sure to wake him so he won’t be up all night. He said he wants to draw something for you to make you feel better.” Liam’s lips against Niall’s cheek felt cold from the air outside and the younger man shivered a bit he made sure to move closer to him. 

“I didn’t want him to notice I was stressed out, but… I guess he did anyways.” Niall sighed, slowly blinking his eyes open so that he could look up at Liam, the softest expression on his face as he stroked some hair out of Niall’s forehead. “Sorry for letting you do all the work.”

“You did all the work today, baby, and it’s me who is sorry for having been so useless this year when it comes to Christmas.” Liam had had a lot of things to do for work, so of course that was more than understandable, he always tried his best to get as many days off as he could, but they had both agreed that this was how they would do it. And Niall was more than okay with it, it’s just… 

“I don’t mind doing it, you know that… “ The younger man told him before moving his hand down to his stomach, putting it above where Liam’s was already resting, his thumb rubbing circles over the fabric of Niall’s shirt. “Think she might though.”

“Did you feel sick again?” Liam was referring to a few days ago, when Niall had literally felt like puking all day long and the older man had been about to call in sick to work also just so he could be with Niall. 

“A few times, but it wasn’t as bad as a few days ago… only 4 more months.” At least Niall wasn’t even showing that much, he did have a bump and it was obviously noticeable if he was shirtless, but not when he was wearing clothes and especially in winter. It had been planned, that they had wanted a second baby, but it had worked out a lot more quickly than either of them would have expected and they had been over the moon. “It’s going a lot smoother than with Jake though.”

“Maybe because you knew what you had to expect… and last time everything was just a bit messy and out of nowhere. And we were 4 years younger.” That was true, everything had been messy back then and so much had changed that Niall couldn’t even comprehend it sometimes. He still thought back to that a lot though not as much as in the very beginning, it had just really affected their lives in so many ways. “I really admire how you do this though.”

“Shut up.” Niall told him jokingly, laughing quietly at the older man though he knew Liam was actually being serious about it, so his cheeks started to feel a little hotter all of a sudden. 

“It’s the truth though. It’s not fair that you have to do all the work and I’m just… watching.” The thing was, Niall would have maybe not believed had anybody else spoken about it this way, but he knew Liam would have genuinely switched places with him if he had had the choice because he was doing absolutely anything in his power to make Niall more comfortable during his pregnancy. For the second time now. 

“I enjoy it, most of the time at least, and you’re always doing everything for me. Today was just stressful, but I’ll be good when tomorrow is finally over and Harry and Louis are off on their honeymoon or whatever.” Even though they’d probably still send them updates every single day then, but Niall could deal with that, he just didn’t wanna have to leave the house for a few days if he was being honest. “They’ve been so annoying about this whole wedding since they told us… “

“Kind of.” Liam agreed, which really meant something, but when he leaned down to kiss Niall’s lips, the younger boy immediately felt himself getting lost in it, completely forgetting that he was actually starving and Liam still hadn’t ordered any food yet. 

They made out on the bed for a while, just slowly and lazily without any haste until they could both very clearly hear some small footsteps coming towards their room and Liam leaned back a little with a smile on his face, lips slightly swollen. God, he was so fucking hot and whenever Niall was pregnant he somehow was even MORE into Liam, which seemed hardly possible but like… how could anyone have not been?!

“Daddy?” Jacob mostly referred to Liam as that, but he also called Niall the same, so sometimes it got confusing, but then again, it didn’t really matter that much because one of them would answer anyways.

“We’re in here, bug.” Liam told him, pressing another quick kiss against Niall’s lips before propping himself up on his elbow right when their son walked around the corner, carrying one of his stuffed animals and looking as if he could have fallen right back asleep when he came over to their bed. “C’mere... ugh, you’re getting so big.”

He walked straight into Liam’s arms after the older man had sat up, lifting him up with some pretended struggle before letting himself fall back on the bed next to Niall, taking Jacob with him who was just giggling as he moved between them and Niall found himself smiling like an idiot.

“I brought this for you so you don’t have to be sad anymore. Okay?” When he gave Niall his stuffed animal, Niall felt his throat tightening up a bit as he took it, sharing a brief look with Liam before reaching out to stroke their son’s cheek. 

“Thank you, love. I’m not sad, okay? I’m just a bit tired.” Kind of true after all, Niall wasn’t sad at all, he would have simply preferred for all of them to just stay in this bed until the end of time. 

“Because of the baby?” Jacob asked, kind of looking a bit stressed out about it so Niall made sure to pull him into his arms. 

“No, not because of the baby. It was just a long day. Are you hungry?” He had to be, it had been hours since they had eaten last and Niall did feel quite terrible about it, but some days things just didn’t go as planned. “Do you wanna help daddy order something?”

“No, I wanna stay here.” He mumbled somewhere into Niall’s neck and Niall laughed quietly when Liam playfully rolled his eyes. 

“Looks like I’m gonna be the only one who’s getting up tonight.” Liam leaned over though to kiss both Niall’s cheek and Jacob’s head before getting out of bed, making sure to briefly check what everyone wanted though before leaving the room to probably get his phone or something.

It was a quiet and early night, but Niall kinda enjoyed this the most anyways. They didn’t end up eating in bed though he had kinda been tempted to, but they tried to eat at the table because of Jacob most of the time even if it didn’t always work out like that. Niall almost fell asleep while listening to Liam reading a bedtime story to Jake a few hours later and he had the hardest time ever dragging himself over into their own bed afterwards.

“Just go to sleep, babe, I’ll handle everything tomorrow morning, okay?” Liam promised, putting the covers over Niall and tucking him in as if he hadn’t just turned on the heater before. “Do you want me to rub your back for a bit?”

“I’m good, Li… thank you. I love you.” At this point, Niall was already half asleep, his eyes were getting heavier by the second and he was actually surprised his words still made sense or that he managed to kiss his boyfriend back.

“I love you too, baby. So much.” The older man half whispered, running his fingers through the younger’s hair and Niall was pretty much gone a second later. He did notice Liam slipping out of bed again though and then finally coming back to go to sleep as well, lying behind Niall and wrapping an arm around him, his hand resting gently on Niall’s baby bump.

 

\--------------

 

“I can’t believe you guys are late. On my literal wedding day.” Louis was being the most dramatic he had ever been and Liam couldn’t even be mad at him for it because he did feel sort of bad for not showing up on time. Then again, it were literally only 10 minutes and Niall was pregnant and they had a small child so he felt like their friends should have cut them some slack.

“You can be glad we came at all.” Niall joked while he was busy sorting out Jake’s hair, which had actually been Liam’s job, but this morning had just been way too hectic. Especially after Niall hadn’t been feeling so well yesterday, Liam had really wanted to make this go by as smoothly as possible for him, at which he had failed dramatically. “Zayn isn’t here either.”

“He’s with Harry in some other room, of course he’s here. He actually came early.” Well, that truly said something now, didn’t it? “Do you still know what you have to do, Jakey?”

“No…. Daddy, I’m scared.” The boy told Niall and Liam threw a glare at Louis for making his son even more nervous. Somehow, it had come to Harry’s and Louis’ minds that Jake would be the right person to carry their rings and probably also to force Niall and Liam to come to the rehearsals. At first, Liam had thought that it was an alright idea because Jacob had been thrilled, but now… 

“Why are you scared, love?” Niall was finally done sorting out his hair, but he remained on eye level with him and Liam felt his heart breaking a bit when their son went to hug Niall. “Hey, hey, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to, okay?”

“I mean-“

Louis quickly shut his mouth when Liam elbowed him, shaking his head at him because what the hell? “Uncle Louis and Harry won’t be mad if you don’t.”

“We really won’t, buddy.” Louis confirmed, but only after Liam had thrown quite an intense look at him. He was aware that this would mess everything up, but like… it’s not like anyone would truly care, right? Liam surely wouldn’t.

Jacob must have whispered something into Niall’s ear because the youngest man just nodded at him before standing up with the boy still clinging to him. “He still needs to think about if he wants to do it. We still got loads of time anyways.”

Though Louis didn’t seem that happy with the answer, he still agreed immediately before picking up his phone when it went off, probably someone else calling who was going to be late because it seemed like a lot of people were. Liam went over to where Niall was holding their son, whose head was now on his shoulder, looking both sad and tired at the same time. 

“Me or daddy can go and do it with you if you want to.” Liam told him, slowly wrapping his arm around Niall’s waist as he leaned down to kiss Jacob’s cheek. 

The little boy just shrugged a bit, sniffing a little, and Liam shared a look with Niall, both of them unsure. It wouldn’t be a big deal at all if he didn’t do it, Liam just hated that their son was even being brought into this situation in the first place when everyone knew that he wasn’t really the most outgoing. Then again, he had been excited about it, but had probably changed his mind upon seeing how many more people there were now.

“Are you sleepy, love?” He must have been, they had gotten up really early and even though they had gone to bed earlier as usual as well, it still hadn’t been early enough. 

“Yes….” Jacob told Liam, or whispered it somewhere into Niall’s suit more like, his fingers playing with the buttons of the younger man’s shirt, eyes dropping closed every few seconds. This was going to be the longest day ever. 

“Do you want to eat something, hm? Let’s see what we got.” They had of course brought snacks and everything, and a change of clothes, and honestly, Liam had always thought being a parent that all of this would come naturally, but it had actually taken them 5 times of Jacob peeing his pants as a toddler to realize that a change of clothes was never a bad idea. And neither were snacks. 

Since Louis was still busy on the phone anyways, trying to direct one of his friends to the right place, Liam went to sit on the couch with Jacob and Niall, lifting the boy into his lap while Niall was busy going through his backpack to look for something to eat and drink. Somehow, Liam could have gone for something to eat as well and he almost had to laugh when Niall handed him some crackers as well without him even saying anything.

“You really are my soulmate.” The older man commented playfully, making Niall roll his eyes, but there was a smile tugging on his lips before he let his head drop onto Liam’s shoulder. “We’re really getting old, we need like 10 hours of sleep to even function.”

“Think getting old makes you need less sleep. And you’re the only one who’s getting old, you’re the oldest person in the room.” Niall joked after Liam’s comment, but he didn’t lift his head or anything, just took some crackers as well when Jacob handed them to him. 

“I always was though. And we definitely need more sleep than we used to.” But that probably came with having a child, and jobs and all that stuff, but Liam wouldn’t have ever gone back to how things had been anyways. Everything was going great, their relationship was strong as ever, they were about to have their second child, they were all healthy and what more was there to ask for really? Well, there was ONE thing, but Liam was working on that. “Those are good crackers, where’d you buy them?”

“I-“

“Guys, is this seriously what you’re talking about? Your grocery shopping?” Louis must have already ended the phone call, Liam had stopped paying attention to him because he was just stressing them all out anyways. 

“What else would we be talking about? Nothing’s happening. I bet Harry and Zayn are having a lot more fun somewhere else.” Probably, they had grown really good friends over the years, all 5 of them actually. Zayn had kinda lost the only family he had had, his father, but he had told Liam multiple times that it was the best thing that had ever happened to him, getting a normal job and life that wasn’t just led by fear and violence. Plus, he had an uncle now and Niall’s mother kinda treated him like a nephew, and he had all of them of course, so really, there was no bad thing that had come out of it. Even if his father was behind bars. 

“Can you stop complaining, Ni? You two were supposed to make me less nervous.” Louis complained and Liam did start to feel kinda bad for being so useless because of how tired he was, but luckily Niall was already getting up with a sigh to go and hug him. “This isn’t helping.”

“Why are you nervous? You’ve been with Harry for… years.” Niall settled for that, probably because he couldn’t think of how many right now and Liam grinned at him but didn’t say anything, instead stealing another cracker from his son. “Nothing is gonna change except that you’re gonna be married.”

“I know. But… it’s still a big deal though, kind of. And everyone’s here. I mean, not everyone because apparently this place is really hard to find or whatever, but… you know what I mean.” It was strange, seeing Louis ramble and being all nervous and stuff, funny almost, but Liam did feel for him. He assumed it must have been a lot different for two Betas to be in relationships and get married, they didn’t really have that security that for example Liam and Niall had through their bond. Anything could have happened in the future. “I kinda still can’t believe it. It feels like yesterday when we got together but at the same time it feels like it’s been 20 years.”

“Remember when you got together and you ditched me for it?” Niall threw in, having pulled back now to laugh at his friend when Louis rolled his eyes, starting to pace up and down again as the younger boy let himself fall into Liam’s side on the couch once more. “That was so mean, I was so pissed.”

“That was more than 4 years ago, we’ve been through this like 50 billion times. And it got you closer to Liam, didn’t it? So I feel like you should’ve been grateful, even back then, but I can forgive you because I know you’re moody and hormonal.” Oh god, not this again.

“If Jake wasn’t sitting right here then I would say so many things to you right now.” Niall told him, but he stayed calm at least.

“What things?” Jacob asked with a full mouth and Liam refrained from telling him to swallow first because today was already exhausting enough for them. 

“Adult things, love. Don’t worry about it, okay? Are you feeling a bit better now?” Liam was still holding him on his lap and the small boy was fully leaning against him, looking awfully close to falling asleep but at least he nodded a bit before cuddling even closer into Liam and the man dropped a kiss onto the top of his head. 

They used the time before the ceremony trying to calm Louis down because he seemed to be getting more nervous by the minute, which was quite understandable, but also somewhat unexpected. There weren’t too many people when they finally walked out of the separate room to take their seats, greeting Niall’s parents and Liam’s father, who had made it as well after all. 

“Are you gonna be a big boy today and carry the rings?” Niall’s mother asked Jacob after he had run up to her to be picked up. He LOVED being carried around by someone, mostly Niall and Liam though because he was so clingy with them, Niall especially.

“Yes.” He answered rather quickly, so that was a good thing, and he also looked very proud of it and Liam felt relief spreading through his body, squeezing Niall’s hand a bit more tightly. “Are you gonna watch me?”

“Of course I am, darling. You’re gonna do so good, I just know it.” Hopefully, because Liam really didn’t want him to cry today. 

It all went fine in the end, like, it could have probably gone a bit better, but Jacob managed to do the thing with the rings even though he ran straight back into Niall’s arms afterwards and made a hell lot of noise. To be fair, the wedding was quite emotional, especially because Liam knew through how much emotional distress Louis had gone through before and also months ago when he had consulted him before proposing to Harry. Not like Liam had any experience with that, but… it seemed because he was older that the others sometimes thought he was the best to ask for advice.

At least they all definitely felt a lot more awake when it was all over and Liam and Niall had decided it would have been rude to ditch the after party, especially because they all felt a lot better now and Jake seemed full of energy all of a sudden. Maybe he had really just been so nervous about carrying those damn rings, Liam made sure to note that in the back of his head, for… well, for the future.

“You two really are the most boring people to have a party with, huh?” Zayn commented as he came over to the table where Niall and Liam were sitting by themselves, just having a chat and watching everyone else up on their feet, dancing or doing whatever. Louis was making a right fool out of himself because he had already downed a glass or two, but Harry seemed to think it was absolutely hilarious anyways. “Where’s Jake?”

“With my dad, they went for a walk around the garden, I think.” A while ago already actually, but Niall’s dad was great with him so Liam wasn’t worried at all, he had just enjoyed spending some time with Niall by themselves. Also, he kinda didn’t want Niall up and running around all day because he was 5 months pregnant after all. “How are _we_ boring? You’re just standing around as well.”

“I don’t know a lot of people here. Who knew Louis would invite all his colleagues?” Zayn shrugged before sitting down opposite them and Liam thought about leaning back from Niall a little, but then again, why would he have? Everyone knew that they were together. “How are you doing?”

“Fine… it’s just been a long day already.” It was like 5 in the afternoon now, and Liam did feel like it would have been alright had they left now, but Jake was having fun and he got to see his grandparents for a bit and they’d be home the whole Christmas break anyways. “Have you thought about whether you wanna come over for Christmas yet? We really wouldn’t mind.”

“I’ll be fine, don’t worry. We’re all spending Christmas Eve together and I was never big on the morning after anyways.” Zayn lived alone, and he wasn’t in a relationship, he had no parents and no siblings, so Niall and Liam had asked him whether he wanted to crash at their place after this dinner that Liam’s father had invited everyone to at his house. “Your dad invited me too, actually. I almost said yes because I felt bad he’d be alone, but then he told me he’d just celebrate with his new girlfriend otherwise. Have you met her?”

“Yeah… she seems nice enough.” Niall shrugged, playing with Liam’s fingers in his lap and the older man suddenly got an urge to ask him to go home right now. “You can still change your mind.”

“I won’t, but thanks, both of you. I’m not as lonely as you all seem to think.” Zayn let out a laugh, continuing to eat his cake that he had brought over to their table and Liam felt Niall leaning more into him again as they all resumed watching whatever was going on around them.

Though there weren’t too many people, Zayn wasn’t the only one who didn’t know all of Louis’ colleagues so there were quite a few guests Liam had never seen before either, but he wasn’t really that into socializing anyways because he had Niall after all. After a while, Niall’s dad brought Jake back to them because he seemed to have been asking for them and he fell asleep in Niall’s lap after like 5 minutes.

“Maybe we should leave soon… or should I wake him?” They were both just staring down at their son sleeping soundly in the younger man’s arms and sometimes Liam still wondered how they had even managed to have such a perfect child together. 

“No, let him sleep, he deserves some rest.” Liam told him after a moment, quietly though Jacob was sleeping through all the noise around them anyways. “So do we.”

“We should wait for Harry and Louis though, we’ve barely spoken to them… I can’t even remember if I congratulated them or not.” Niall clearly had to suppress a yawn, his head feeling heavy on Liam’s shoulder and the older man held him more tightly, letting his cheek rest against the top of his head, his free hand caressing Niall’s arm. 

“You did, right after, don’t worry. I don’t think they would even notice anyways. We could just text them later.” Liam joked, but he also kinda meant it. “When are they going to the airport again?”

“Tomorrow morning, I think. If Louis manages to sober up until then.” The younger boy nodded a bit towards where Louis was entertaining some of the kids with his drunken self. “I’m so glad you never drink, you have no idea.”

“I wish I could say the same about you.” It wasn’t meant to be serious of course, Niall would end up tipsy once a while, but Liam didn’t actually mind that much because it only made him really clingy and needy and he definitely didn’t mind that at all. 

“Shut up.” Niall mumbled somewhere into his shoulder and Liam squeezed him as he laughed gently, burying his face in the younger’s hair, breathing in his familiar scent. His scent always changed when he was pregnant somehow and Liam loved it, he knew it was meant to make him more caring as an Alpha and all that, but there was no need for that really because he couldn’t have cared more about Niall than he did on a daily basis. This man and the little boy sleeping on his lap were his entire world, and nothing would have ever changed that. 

They stayed for another hour or so, way longer than planned yet again, but at least they got to speak to Harry and Louis for a bit longer, and also their parents. All in all, everything would have been really great actually, had Niall’s mother not said goodbye to them with the words “The next wedding we’re meeting at is hopefully going to be yours then.”.

Seeing Niall’s facial expression after she had said it really wasn’t what Liam would have wanted to see tonight. Or ever.

 

\--------------------

 

The first few days of Christmas break, they just spent it at home pretty much. Liam and Niall had both gotten a few days off of work and usually they saved them for when they wanted to go somewhere on vacation or any kind of trip, but it was freezing outside and actually Niall felt quite happy to just spend some time at home for once. 

“Harry just set me another picture of Louis at the beach… does he really think we care that much?” Liam was laughing from somewhere on the floor where he was lying to play with Jake and Niall could have watched them do this all day long. Seeing Liam, the love of his life, being cute with their son was honestly the most amazing feeling in the entire world. 

“Daddy, it’s your turn.” Jacob told him when he had been on his phone for too long and Liam quickly put it away while Niall just laughed.

“Sorry, bud, you’re right.” They were playing some game that Niall’s mother had given to them, claiming Niall had loved it as a toddler as well, but honestly… Niall was really glad now whenever he wasn’t the one who had to play with Jacob and could just watch instead. 

“He just sent it to me as well… “ Niall mumbled, not waiting long though before simply snapping a picture of Liam and Jake and sending it back to Harry. Surely that’s what he wanted to see on his honeymoon, right? “I’m gonna go start dinner, alright?”

“Okay. Do you want me to come help?” Liam asked despite the fact that their son immediately looked slightly alarmed about the possibility of him leaving.

“Nah, I’ll be fine. Have fun playing you two.” He grinned when he saw Liam rolling his eyes, but the truth was, Liam just turned into a big child also whenever he played with Jacob and Niall absolutely loved it. 

Most of the time they tried to eat healthy. Of course they had slip ups once a while or days where they just couldn’t be arsed, but today wasn’t one of those days, so Niall decided to take his time. In the beginning, it had mostly been Liam preparing food for all of them, but the younger man had watched and he had learned so that they could share the work and he had actually found himself enjoying it quite a bit. 

Parenting wasn’t always easy and it hadn’t come magically natural to them either, but Niall actually doubted that it did to anyone. What mattered a lot more to him was that they were going through all of this together, that he knew he had Liam by his side, no matter what life threw at them, or had thrown at them in the past. They had really been through a lot of shit, the thing with Niall’s uncle and finding out about Niall’s pregnancy at the same time while he had been in that hospital for at least a week… it had been really tough, but they had made it and had only come out stronger on the other side. 

Niall took his time cutting up vegetables, texting Harry some more in between, kinda not envying him at all for lying around on a beach somewhere right now. They deserved it, they had been saving up for the wedding and the honeymoon for quite a while and Niall was just genuinely happy for them because he knew they were perfect for one another. 

When Liam stepped up behind him, Niall flinched a bit as he felt arms wrapping around his stomach because it had been so unexpected, but luckily he hadn’t been holding a knife anymore. “Jesus, you scared me.”

“Sorry, baby… “ Liam mumbled, hugging him tightly from behind, his lips placing a kiss on the younger’s shoulder, over his shirt. 

“Who won?” Niall asked jokingly, briefly rubbing his hand over Liam’s, holding them in place for a moment so he wouldn’t let go just yet. He didn’t.

“Jake won, but for real this time. We’ve played this game too many times, I’m excited to finally move on to the ones he’s getting for Christmas.” He sounded like he genuinely meant it, chuckling softly against Niall’s shoulder and the other man felt shivers going down his spine.

“Shhh.” Niall made playfully though Liam had almost been whispering anyways. It only reminded him though that he still had to wrap pretty much all their presents and he only had like 4 days left to do it. “We’re still sticking to the no gift rule, right? Me and you?”

“I told you, having you is the best gift I could ever ask for.” Liam told him like the sappy romantic he was and Niall rolled his eyes to himself while stirring the pasta, the other man still holding him from behind as if he never intended to let him go again. Good. “But yeah, we are. Right?”

“For real this time though?” Niall kept pushing because they had made this rule as well last year, and then Liam had gotten him something anyways. To be fair, it had kinda been for all of them because it had been a trip, but still. “Like, you got no excuse this time to make me feel bad again?”

“I-“

Before Liam could have answered, Jake was suddenly coming into the kitchen, almost running from the sounds of it but Niall couldn’t really turn around to check because Liam would have been blocking his sight anyways. “It’s snowing! Look!”

“Wow… it really is.” Liam agreed after he had half let go of Niall to look out the window, his hand still remaining on the small of the younger’s back though. “Looks like you got your wish, Jakey. C’mere.”

Liam’s hand slipped from Niall so he could pick up their son and give him a better view out of the window and Niall made sure to interrupt cooking for a moment as well so he could have a look too. He genuinely hadn’t thought that it would snow in time for Christmas this year and he honestly wouldn’t have been mad about it because it meant a lot less mess whenever they came home from somewhere, but for Jake’s sake, Niall was really happy about it as well. 

There was just something so magical about throwing side glances at Liam and Jacob while they were looking out of the window to watch the snowflakes, just seeing them interact and being all cute was really warming Niall’s heart. He truly had everything he could have ever wanted in this life.

 

\------------------------

 

“Alright, let’s look here… “ The doctor moving the ultrasound over Niall’s skin was something he would never get used to, it still felt too cold and uncomfortable each time. “Here’s the head, see?”

“I don’t see it, daddy.” Jacob tried to whisper to Niall, but the doctor still heard it as well obviously and they just laughed. “Why’s it look so weird?”

“Because your sister still has to grow, love. You looked like that once.” Niall told him, brushing some hair out of his face because Jacob had squeezed himself on the bed next to him. Usually Liam came to every single check up as well, but he had gotten a call from the agency this morning asking him to come to a photoshoot that was kind of a big deal so Niall had told him to go obviously, he had been through this quite a few times after all. 

“No, I didn’t.” The boy refused to believe it and Niall just ruffled his hair, simply relieved that everything was alright with the baby. He knew he worried too much sometimes, but he just couldn’t help it and Liam’s overprotectiveness was only increasing that also, but it was just who they were. “When is she gonna be here?”

“In a few months. We wrote it in your calendar, remember?” Probably not, because he had stopped looking at it a few days after he had insisted on doing it and he kept asking about when the baby would come. Niall was aware though that the concept of time was difficult to grasp for a 3 and a half year old, so yeah. 

Jacob simply shrugged, seemingly very concentrated as he kept looking from the monitor to Niall’s baby bump and the man felt himself smiling as he rubbed his son’s back. In about four months he would truly have 2 of these munchkins, their birthdays really close as well, which was good because that meant it’d never be too cold to have parties outside and they wouldn’t have to buy presents all year round. Not that it had been planned or anything, they had actually never expected that it’d work out so quickly.

When the check up was over, Niall made sure to text Liam on the way out, also sending him the new pictures they had gotten because he knew the older man would be beating himself up over not having come along this time. “Are you excited to see granny?”

“Yeah. Is grandpa coming?” The little boy asked for the probably tenth time and Niall held his hand a bit tighter when they were waiting at a pedestrian crossing. They could have taken the car, but the café they were meeting Niall’s mother at was literally down the street. 

“No, he has to work. But just granny is gonna be fun too, right?” Niall tried to hype him up a bit because he knew how much his mother took it to heart whenever Jacob didn’t immediately jump into her arms for cuddles. “And daddy might come as well.”

That definitely got Jacob a lot happier and Niall really hoped that Liam would come indeed because he already missed him since the older man had left this morning. It was like, no matter how much time they spent together with no break in between, Niall just never ever got enough of Liam, not after all these years, their bond seemed to only get more intense if anything. 

It was a short walk but they still had some time so Niall didn’t rush them, allowing Jacob to stare into every single shop window they passed, making mental notes of a few Christmas presents they had gotten for him just to make sure they had everything he had asked for. They were really trying hard not to spoil him too much and Niall did think that they had managed to keep it down, even though he might have gone a bit crazy with presents this year. But that was mostly because Jacob had been asking quite a bit about how it would be like to have a sister, whether his daddies would have less time for him. And god knew Niall immediately fell for stuff like that.

“You’re early.” Niall hadn’t expected his mother to already be waiting for them when they arrived, he let go of his son’s hand to let him run over to her because there weren’t many other people anyways.

“Granny!” He was definitely very excited, so that was a good thing.

“Hi, my angel, how are you doing? I missed you so much.” She immediately picked him up so he could hug her and Niall watched with a smile before giving his mother a half hug, kissing her cheek. “What’d the doctor say?”

“Everything is fine, no worries. You wanna see the pictures?” Niall took off his jacket and waited until they had both sat down, Jake on his mother’s lap, before sliding them across the table. “You can keep them if you want, I got extra copies for me and Liam.”

“I’d love to, thank you… wow, isn’t that amazing, Jake? That’s your little sister.” Not sure if Jacob thought it was that amazing, it almost made Niall laugh to watch him struggle to see what was so exciting about these blurry pictures. 

“She looks like a cloud.” The boy commented after a while of staring at them and this time, Niall didn’t hold back his laughter.

“Not for much longer, love, I promise. Remember what she looked like a while ago? She changed a lot since then, huh?” Well, probably not in Jacob’s eyes, Niall just thought it was hilarious to listen and watch him in the process of all of this. 

“Yeah… what’s her name gonna be?” He had asked this question a lot lately and Niall hadn’t been able to give him an answer because they hadn’t managed to decide yet. “I want to pick a name for her.”

“We can decide on one together, yeah? With daddy.” The thing was, they were both really indecisive when it came to names and Jacob had simply been a lucky pick really, something that had crossed Liam’s mind literally a week before he had been born. And they still had months ahead of them now.

Jacob kept asking questions about the baby and Niall did his best to answer them, letting his mother throw in stuff as well though because she was really good with kids and with explaining. Generally, she had been a really great help with Jake from the very beginning and though Niall had kinda expected her to be the kinda grandmother who wanted to have a say in everything, it had never been like that at all. She was always happy to babysit and though she had of course given Niall that dreaded lecture a time or two, he was more than grateful that she had always supported them like this and continued to do so.

“How are Harry and Louis doing on their honeymoon?” Niall’s mother asked after quite a while, while Jake was busy drawing something on a piece of paper one of the waiters had given to him.

“Great, they keep sending us unwanted pictures.” Niall laughed, thinking about showing them to his mother, but then deciding not to. He kinda didn’t want his son to be confronted with 15 shirtless pictures of his uncles where at least one of them was clearly drunk in half of them. 

“The wedding was a lot bigger than I had expected it to be. And a lot longer also.” She had stayed a lot longer than Niall and Liam apparently, but then again, almost anyone had. “When you and Liam get married you need to give me a heads up if you decide to do something like this.”

“Can we not talk about that?” Niall asked, kinda nervously and he somehow regretted it, so he quickly took a sip from his coffee. No idea what his problem was with that, it just wasn’t his favorite topic, that was all.

“Why not? You do wanna marry him, right? I mean, not that there’s a need to really, you’re soulmates and you h-“

“Mom, please.” Niall rolled his eyes at her, suddenly feeling like he was 20 again and having to tell his mother he was dating his step brother. 

“Alright, alright, I’m just making sure you don’t go off and secretly get married to him. I’m kinda afraid that’s something you would do. You only told me you were pregnant this time because I directly asked you about it.” True, Niall had already been 3 months before his mother had asked him about it and he had admitted it. 

“We’re not even engaged, so… “ Niall shrugged, trying to be as natural about it as possible and he saw the look on his mother’s face and the way she opened her mouth ready to say something, so he quickly made sure to ask Jacob something about his drawing instead to change the topic.

They stayed for another hour and Liam did show up luckily, so they all had a bit of a catch up, which was really nice and by the time they got home, Niall had long forgotten about the wedding questions.

 

\--------------------

 

Christmas morning was kind of an absolute mess, but also not really. They had gotten home late from the Christmas Eve party at Liam’s dad’s house, and then this morning Jake had been jumping on their bed waking them because he couldn’t wait to open up his presents. So now their living room was a complete disaster and there was wrapping paper everywhere, their breakfast still on the table as well, toys waiting to be stepped on and their phones constantly going off as well. The usual.

“Okay, bye, I love you guys. Say bye bye Jake.” Liam flipped the camera around so Jacob could wave at his little sisters and his mother before hanging up, a little exhausted after they had given him a full haul of all of their presents. And they were old enough now where at least the older one was into clothes and stuff, so it really hadn’t been that exciting. “My mom told me to tell you merry Christmas, and she wants us tell her as soon as possible once we know when we have time to come to London.”

“I know, I keep forgetting about that, I feel really bad already.” Niall was moving around the room collecting trash, so Liam forced himself to finally get up off the couch as well and help him. “And we have to call Zayn as well.”

“Babe, Zayn is just fine, he didn’t wanna come, remember? I doubt he changed his mind, but we can call and see if he wants to come over later, get us off duty for a bit and play with stuffed animals for a few hours.” There was no need to say it quietly, because Jacob was so busy with his toys anyways that he didn’t pay any attention to them whatsoever. “We did good with the presents this year.”

“I think so too. And I’m glad you finally stuck to the rule.” The younger man told him, quickly pecking Liam’s lips and he thought about saying something, but then he just smiled instead. He had kinda stuck to the rule after all, but he was also slightly nervous about it. “We still gotta call Zayn.”

“Okay, I’m calling him right now if that’ll make you feel better.” Maybe Liam felt bad as well, even though it was obvious that Zayn truly did not mind and that he wanted to spend his time alone rather than being woken up at 6 in the morning probably.

It wasn’t a very long call because as it turned out, he had plans with other friends for which he had to get ready for, so then they also called Niall’s dad and Harry and Louis just to make sure to get everyone off of the list, trying to make Jake be in the video calls also because everyone wanted to talk to him, but it rarely worked.

Cleaning up also took a few hours and by that time, Liam could tell Niall was exhausted so he made him go lie down in their bed for a bit, promising that he’d manage the rest on his own. They were going out to eat later, so at least they didn’t have to worry about food or anything and Liam actually thought about waiting until then, but… he was just way too nervous.

“Jake? Can you come here for a minute, love?” Liam tried to be quiet when he called out for his son so Niall wouldn’t hear him all the way to the bedroom. 

“Okay.” The little boy only unwillingly gave up his spot on the living room floor surrounded by all of his new toys that Niall and Liam had decided he could play with out here just for today. 

“I have a very special thing for you to do, okay?” Liam told him, trying to make it all exciting for him as well.

“What thing?” His eyes were lighting up a bit as he stood in front of Liam, who made sure to get down so they could be on eye level somewhat.

“Can you go to mine and daddy’s room and see if daddy is asleep? And tell him that I have something important I need to tell him in the living room?” No, Liam hadn’t planned this, at all, he just knew he needed to do this right now or he would literally go insane after how long he had kept it a secret for. “But be gentle if he’s asleep, yeah? No screaming, okay?”

“Okay, I will.” Jacob promised, half running off even before Liam had told him to, but at least he didn’t yell, so that was a start.

Liam knew he had to be fast and his heart was beating almost uncomfortably fast as he tried to be quick turning off all the lights except for the ones on the Christmas tree, just to set the mood a little bit, if there even was one, because Niall was probably still half asleep from his nap.

He could hear Niall and Jake talk in the other room and to be quite honest, Liam almost pulled out right then and there, almost went to sit on the couch and pretend as if nothing was up, but he remained in the middle of the living room, telling himself there was no need to be nervous. Because there truly wasn’t.

“Everything okay, Li?” Niall asked when he walked around the corner, holding Jake’s hand, clearly just having woken up. “Why’d you turn off all the lights? It’s dark as sh- it’s really dark.”

“Come here.” Liam told him, trying to hold back a nervous laughter and waiting until Niall had come closer before giving himself the final push.

“Liam, wha- oh.”

The younger boy immediately shut up when Liam went down on one knee, covering his mouth with his free hand and just staring at the other boy in obvious shock. There was a moment where neither of them spoke and Liam half expected Jacob to blurt out with something, but he didn’t, he just remained standing there as well, holding onto Niall’s hand.

“Ni, I love you, more than I could ever tell you, and I know we promised each other we wouldn’t buy gifts for one another, but… I hope you can forgive me for this one, because it’s not really a Christmas gift. I know I wanna spend forever with you and with Jake and our little girl and however many kids we’re going to have and no matter what happens, I’m always going to be here for you and take care of you, for as long as you’ll have me. And I’m sorry it took me so long to do this and I know you’ve been waiting for it, especially since that wedding and everyone asking, but I promise I’m not doing this because of that, it’s actually been in the making for quite a while and… you can ask Jake, he went to pick out the ring with me.” Upon saying this, Liam smiled at their son, winking at him before fishing out the ring from his pocket. “Will you marry me?”

There was no immediate answer, Niall still had his mouth covered, eyes wide and Liam didn’t know what to expect when he suddenly saw a tear drop. “Y-Yes… of course, I… of course I will… oh my god… “

Liam’s heart felt like it could have burst as he finally stood up, gently moving Niall’s hand away from his mouth so he could slip the ring on his finger before leaning in to kiss him softly, and then again, just because he could. “For a second there I thought you’d say no…. I love you so much, Ni. You have no idea how happy I am right now.”

“I think I do… I love you too, Li, I… oh god, I had no idea you would… I thought something had happened and… “ He was clearly speechless, which was a really good thing, just staring at the ring in the dim light of just the Christmas tree and Liam made sure to pick up Jake so he wouldn’t feel too left out of this. He had helped after all. “The ring is gorgeous, thank you.”

“I’m glad you like it, took us a while to decide, right, Jakey?” Liam kissed his cheek, blowing raspberries into the boy’s skin to make him laugh before pulling Niall in by his waist with his free arm, holding them both close. “I love you, both of you. And our second baby… and I can’t wait to finally do this and marry you.”

“Me neither, Li… I never thought we’d have a perfect family like that, but… we do. We’re the perfect team.” He was right somehow, and maybe it sounded really cheesy and stuff, but it was the truth, wasn’t it? They did make the perfect team, all of them together, and they could get through absolutely anything if they had made it this far already. 

“Can we get a puppy?” Jacob threw in out of nowhere, kind of ruining the mood a little but it genuinely made them both laugh because he had somewhat sounded serious and Liam decided that though maybe it hadn’t been the most romantic proposal ever, he wouldn’t have wanted to do it any other way. Whatever he and Niall did together, it’d all turn out just fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ITS FINISHED :D
> 
> i can hardly believe it! thank you all soooo much for sticking around for THIRTY WEEKS thats so fucking long holy shit. so much has happened in that time, im sure for all of you as well, so im even more grateful that you took time to read this story and leave kudos and comment <3 i really hope you all enjoyed this epilogue as well & that you will maybe wanna check out my next fic too when i start it :)
> 
> Merry Christmas to all of you, i love you guys & thank you again for all the support and for being so lovely all the time, youre the best & i hope 2019 (if im not back before that) will be the best year for all of you <3 xxxx


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